What do families with young children value about an organization that helps them connect their kids with nature?
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Amanda Birnbaum
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 1:30 PM
End Date
25-4-2025 2:29 PM
Description
Families with children ages 0-5 often face barriers accessing nature with their small children. This presentation shares findings from a case study evaluation conducted in partnership with a national nonprofit whose mission is to bridge this “baby-nature gap.” The organization continuously integrates participant feedback to refine its programs and demonstrate value to stakeholders and funders. Over two years, the organization surveyed approximately 2,000 participants annually, including open-ended questions on their experiences and perceived benefits. Using 2018 survey responses, the research team employed an inductive approach, identifying themes through an iterative process to build a codebook. Consensus was reached among the coders, and a refined codebook was deductively applied to analyze the 2019 responses. Participants consistently emphasized the importance of social and community connections, and connecting with nature. Three additional key themes emerged: Empowered parenting (e.g., accountability and trust), Shared values (e.g., stewardship of nature, "like-minded people"), and Well-being (e.g., multiple dimensions of health). In addition, we identified both positive (e.g., “perfect opportunity”) and negative (e.g., “getting outside with little kids can be stressful”) sentiments, leading to the inclusion of an affective coding category. These findings help the organization focus their continual improvement efforts and articulate their value proposition. This presentation also provides insight into the strengths and challenges of using a two-step coding method for analyzing participants’ survey short responses.
What do families with young children value about an organization that helps them connect their kids with nature?
Families with children ages 0-5 often face barriers accessing nature with their small children. This presentation shares findings from a case study evaluation conducted in partnership with a national nonprofit whose mission is to bridge this “baby-nature gap.” The organization continuously integrates participant feedback to refine its programs and demonstrate value to stakeholders and funders. Over two years, the organization surveyed approximately 2,000 participants annually, including open-ended questions on their experiences and perceived benefits. Using 2018 survey responses, the research team employed an inductive approach, identifying themes through an iterative process to build a codebook. Consensus was reached among the coders, and a refined codebook was deductively applied to analyze the 2019 responses. Participants consistently emphasized the importance of social and community connections, and connecting with nature. Three additional key themes emerged: Empowered parenting (e.g., accountability and trust), Shared values (e.g., stewardship of nature, "like-minded people"), and Well-being (e.g., multiple dimensions of health). In addition, we identified both positive (e.g., “perfect opportunity”) and negative (e.g., “getting outside with little kids can be stressful”) sentiments, leading to the inclusion of an affective coding category. These findings help the organization focus their continual improvement efforts and articulate their value proposition. This presentation also provides insight into the strengths and challenges of using a two-step coding method for analyzing participants’ survey short responses.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.