Adam C. Landon

Incorporating Sociocultural Phenomena into Ecosystem-Service Valuation: The Importance of Critical Pluralism

Abstract Ecosystem‐services scholarship has largely focused on monetary valuation and the material contributions of ecosystems to human well‐being. Increasingly, research is calling for a deeper understanding of how less tangible, nonmaterial values shape management and stakeholder decisions. We propose a framework that characterizes a suite of sociocultural phenomena rooted in key social science disciplines that are currently underrepresented in the ecosystem‐services literature. The results from three example studies are presented to demonstrate how the tenets of this conceptual model can be applied in practice. We consider the findings from these studies in light of three priorities for future research: (1) complexities in individual and social functioning, (2) the salience and specificity of the perceived benefits of nature, and (3) distinctions among value concepts. We also pose a series of questions to stimulate reflection on how ecosystem‐services research can adopt more pluralistic viewpoints that accommodate different forms of knowledge and its acquisition.

Beyond “Just Do It”: Fostering Higher-Order Learning Outcomes in Short-Term Study Abroad

Study abroad is believed to be a transformative learning experience for students. However, the extent to which study abroad adds value beyond what is possible on campus needs to be demonstrated. In this paper, we document the learning outcomes assessment undertaken by a faculty-led study-abroad program at a large university in the U.S. Southeast. Specifically, we describe the development of a theory-based pedagogical model of global citizenship for short-term study abroad and efforts to document student learning associated with its constructs. The results of these efforts indicate that when student learning outcomes and study-abroad pedagogy are aligned with theory, and rigorously assessed, the opportunity to demonstrate learning is possible, and opportunities for instructional improvement present themselves.

Mode Effect and Response Rate Issues in Mixed-Mode Survey Research: Implications for Recreational Fisheries Management

AbstractWhile the social, economic, and ecological impact of recreational fisheries is well established, the inherent diversity of both fisheries resources and resource users, particularly anglers, continues to present a challenge for management agencies. To better understand the diversity of recreational anglers, agencies often utilize survey methods to collect data on angler characteristics and preferences. However, obtaining necessary and representative data is becoming more challenging, exacerbated by declining response rates and an increase in the number of single and mixed-mode survey designs researchers can choose to collect data. We examined three survey designs—surface mail with a Web push, e-mail, and mixed mode—each with varying modes of solicitation and response, in the context of a statewide survey of licensed Texas anglers. Our findings illustrated that response rates varied considerably among these three survey designs. We also observed significant variation in terms of anglers’ sociodemogr...

An Augmented Norm Activation Model: The Case of Residential Outdoor Water Use

ABSTRACT Understanding the factors that influence voluntary conservation is critical for developing effective residential water conservation policy. Previous work drawing on Schwartz’s Norm Activation Model (NAM) has been useful to understand some of these factors. However, one’s relationship with the broader community impacted by consumptive decisions has often been overlooked. Similarly, scholars have emphasized the importance of contextual factors not captured in the NAM. In this study we hypothesize and test an augmented NAM that incorporates community attachment, along with contextual variables (sociodemographic and household infrastructure), to understand the factors that lead to the development of moral obligations to conserve water and their relationship with residential outdoor water use. Results indicate personal norms, defined as a moral obligation to conserve water, are negatively related to outdoor water use, and that community attachment is a predictor of personal norms. Contextual factors are found to have an influence on outdoor water use.

A rite of passage? Exploring youth transformation and global citizenry in the study abroad experience

ABSTRACT Travel, long recognised as a rite of passage, is often also touted as a transformative experience which facilitates cross-cultural understanding, fosters an embrace of diversity and promotes global awareness. This process is aligned with youth development and has a rich history in the tourism literature. The importance of transformational travel, however, has now spread to programmes across the higher education landscape, with the recognition that travel has the potential to nurture a global citizenry. Additionally, for many young people, the motivation for studying abroad is to assist in the transition to adulthood. In this way, educational travel is similar to an ‘overseas experience’ or a ‘gap year’. It is often taken at an important time of transition in emerging adulthood, for example, from school to work. We argue that this period of identity formation for youth can be likened to a rite of passage much like the Grand Tour of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was for young European men and women. Our paper examines the role of the study abroad experience in promoting youth transformation and global citizenry.