Pennsylvania Center For Environmental Education

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Results from Nonformal Education Sector Survey
(Survey 3)

Response Rate:
A total of 56 organizations responded to the nonformal education sector survey for a response rate of 76%.

Types of nonformal education organizations surveyed and their programs:
Ninety-eight percent (98%) of responding organizations reported that they currently conduct some type of EE activities ( Figure 14). Open-ended descriptions of these activities revealed that several responding organizations are fully operational EE centers (12 respondents). Several provide programs for schools and students (6 respondents), teachers (8 respondents), and organized groups (4 respondents). Thirteen responding organizations provide public programs or information and/or community education. Four organizations operate camps and four provide wildlife education.

Other EE activities mentioned include: programs in county parks, green building and energy education, speakers upon request, providing educational materials, hosting conferences and workshops, informational newsletters, facilitating business and education partnerships, stewardship education, a mobile canoe program, education on forest and farming practice, labor education, field trips, reintroduction programs, monthly meetings, retreats, and industry related environmental information.

Ninety-two percent (92%) of responding organizations responded "yes" when asked if they would consider sending representative(s) to a PCEE-sponsored professional development workshop, while 2% responded "maybe" and 6% responded "no" (Figure 15).

Preferences for a PCEE-Sponsored Workshop
Figure 16 shows the content preferences among respondents choosing yes when asked if they would consider sending representative(s) to a PCEE-sponsored. The highest identified frequencies were:

  • Current EE status and developments in Pennsylvania (39 responses)
  • Learning technologies for EE (38 responses)
  • How to develop and present programs for nonformal EE audiences (35 responses)
  • Existing EE resources (supplemental curricula, etc.) (32 responses)

Figure 17 illustrates the percent of nonformal organizations whose members would be interested in receiving credit for attending a PCEE-sponsored workshop. Over half responded "no" (56%), while 31 % responded "yes" and 13% responded "maybe".

Figure 18 illustrates type of credit desired by nonformal organizations who responded they would be interested in receiving credit for a PCEE-sponsored workshop. Among those responding the most frequently desired type of credit was:

  • Graduate credit (14 responses)
  • Intermediate Unit (IU) credit (8 responses)


Figure 19 illustrates the frequency of response for acceptable workshop length for those desiring credit from a PCEE-sponsored workshop. The top response for acceptable length was two days (16 responses).



Figure 20 illustrates the acceptable workshop length for those not desiring credit from a PCEE-sponsored workshop. The most preferred length was one day (19 respondents).

Important Factors for a PCEE-Sponsored Workshop
Figure 21 illustrates the frequency of response for a variety of factors considered most important in deciding whether to send representatives to a PCEE-sponsored workshop. When asked to choose two factors the respondents most frequently chose:

  • Time of year (17 responses)
  • Location (14 responses)
  • Content (14 responses)
  • Weekday vs. weekend (11 responses)

Figure 22 illustrates the most acceptable travel distance for those choosing location as a priority factor when considering whether to send representatives to a PCEE-sponsored workshop. The top response was 50-100 miles (17 responses), and >50 and 100-200 miles tied for second most frequent with 6 responses each.


Figure 23 illustrates the frequency of response for those choosing time of year as a priority factor when considering whether to send representatives to a PCEE-sponsored workshop. The preferred times of year were:

  • Winter (14 responses)
  • Summer (8 responses)

Figure 24 illustrates the day of week preference for those respondents choosing weekend vs. weekday when considering whether to send representatives to a PCEE-sponsored workshop. The top response was weekday (25 responses).

Open Ended Nonformal Sector Comments
Fourteen respondents provided open-ended comments at the end of Section C, the nonformal education sector survey.

  • Potential content to be included in a PCEE-sponsored workshop.
    Suggested content areas included: networking and standards, practical and easy-to-use ideas, helping technical people connect with teachers and the public, and education for local officials. (4 comments.)
  • Preferred logistics for a PCEE-sponsored workshop.
    One of these suggested a short (1 day), nearby workshop would be preferred, and the other suggested that since time and money presents a barrier, the workshop should be combined with a PCEE conference. (2 comments.)
  • Train-the-trainer model for the workshop. (1 comment.)
  • General comments:
    The proposed workshop might be too introductory for the organization's staff, the content areas included in the survey instrument focus only on schools, and state parks already do EE training. (3 comments.)