Changes in feelings and emotions of children after participation in an agricultural hands-on study program, 2: A quantitative evaluation of the educational and recreationlal benefits of learning through farming and rural experiences in agricultural farming villages
2008
Yamamoto, T.(National Inst. for Rural Engineering, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan))
To quantitatively evaluate the educational and active recreational benefits of agricultural and farming village hands-on study programs, we developed PEMEC (Psychological evaluation method of experience training for children), a method for psychologically evaluating hands-on experiences for use with children that is based on the profile of mood states (POMS). Our study illustrated the usefulness of this tool. Using PEMEC, we demonstrated reductions in anger and anxiety after participation in a hands-on agricultural study program and so were able to quantitatively confirm the psychological effects of active recreation. This study suggests that the same methods could be used to evaluate the short-term effects of hands-on study programs by type and content, thus making it possible to design more effective programs. It also points to possibilities for investigating issues such as the duration of the effects derived from long-term recreation and the effects of repeated participation in recreational programs.
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