Recreation Proposed Quantitative Research: Outdoor Research Proposal

Additionally, participating teachers will be drawn from public schools in the same state to mitigate the possibility that geographic factors will intervene to too great a degree. That said, consideration will be made to distinguish the specific school districts, socioeconomic conditions and racial factors present in different schools. Without making any preemptive deductions, these preliminary details may be used to help yield evidence of connections which might be used for future study.

The Likert Scale model of survey will be distributed through the email listserv at participating schools, requesting respondents to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 to what extent they agree or disagree with statements provided in the survey. These statements will primarily concern the presence or absence of sufficient outdoor recreational opportunities and the connection between said opportunities and academic performance.

This would be considered a true experimental quantitative study, where a control and experimental group would be randomly assigned amongst participating respondents. An intervention program would be assigned to the experimental group engaging said students in a pilot outdoor parks, recreation and wildlife program. The control group would engage in regular recess periods with no added outdoor activity. Based on the selected subject and the need to derive some clearer understanding of the correlation between the independent variable -- here identified as the presence of a special outdoor recreational opportunity for elementary school students -- and the dependent variable -- here identified as academic performance, this study is essentially a preliminary one. One might anticipate that the quantifiable findings yielded from the survey will produce any number of insights which might refine future research. For instance, the Likert Scale approach allows us to distinguish overarching responses to individual questions such that a catalyst might be identified for any distinctions in experience. It is here that considerations as to the nature of specific school districts, socioeconomic conditions or racial conditions may be used to produce a true experimental study on the subject. Appendix I: Pro Forma Budget The projected budget presented here below lays out the cost for conducting both the intervention program and for conducting the survey. The intervention program will be conducted in 250 classrooms -- which is the experimental group made of half the sample population. During the course of a full school year, the experimental group will go on monthly trips to public and state park lands and participate in hikes and other nature-oriented activities. This would require roughly 20 recreation tour guides and some travel expenses. These costs are projected below. Project Expense Estimated Cost Project Director $600 Survey Staff (3) 3x$8 / x 8hr x 8 day/school year = $1,536 Recreation Tour Guides (20) $40 per tour x 250 classroom x 6 tours =$60K Travel $40 per tour x 250 classroom x 6 tours =$60K References Brown, P.; Sutterby, J.A. & Thornton, C.D. (2002). Dramatic play in outdoor play environments. Parent Teacher Organization Today. Burberry, J. & Learoyd, B. (2005). Leeds Childhood Obesity Prevention and Weight Management Strategy. Leeds Children & Young People. Online at . Montessori, M. (1986). The Discovery of the Child. 4th. New York: Ballantine Books. Office of Communications (Ofcom). (2004). Children's food choices, parents' understanding and influence, and the role of food promotions. Office of Communications. Online at http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/tv/reports/food_ads/. Sallis, J.F.; J.J. Prochaska & Taylor, W.C. (2000). A review of correlates….....