Feelings of connectedness to nature: A comparison of Park & Recreation Management students and Sport Management students.

• Main Author: Scarborough, N. E.
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2013
• Subjects: Kinesiology; Life Sciences
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/85; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1089&context=honors

In the face of the present consumer-based environmental movement, leaders in many industries and disciplines are striving to understand why people are “going green” in order to market to them. Researchers have been studying ways in which people connect to the environmental movement, and researchers in the field of sport and recreation are also conducting such studies. Several surveys have been developed to measure these connections; one such survey instrument is the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS). In the present study, the CNS was re-created online, and a link to the survey was sent via email to students studying Park & Recreation Management and Sport Management at a southeastern regional university. It was found that the Park & Recreation Management students felt significantly more connected to nature than the Sport Management students, and the oldest students in the majors felt significantly more connected to nature than the youngest students. These findings agree with other studies that individuals with a stronger focus on outdoor recreation feel a greater connection to nature than those with a stronger focus on organized sport.