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Who
Why
What
(W)outcomes
Where to
• Partnership between Calgary Parks, Agents of Nature, Calgary
Catholic School District, University of British Columbia, and
Mitacs
• Ten schools from the Calgary Catholic School District
participated
• Data was collected from approximately 750 students aged 9-14
• 51% of participants were boys
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Park locations included Ralph Klein Park, Nose Hill Park, and
Devonian Gardens
• A preliminary assessment of the efficacy of the Agents of
Nature application by a neutral party
• Assessed whether children have a different experience visiting a
Calgary Parks site using a mobile app, a guided tour, or
exploring on their own
• Investigated whether park exposure influences children’s
pro‐environmental attitudes
• Assessed how park exposure impacts psychological well-being
• Exposure to Get to Know and Agents of Nature
• Exposure to Calgary Parks
• Exposure to Get to Know and Agents of Nature
• Exposure to Calgary Parks
• Happiness: State and trait
• Exposure to Get to Know and Agents of Nature
• Exposure to Calgary Parks
• Happiness: State and trait
• Positive and negative affect
• Exposure to Get to Know and Agents of Nature
• Exposure to Calgary Parks
• Happiness: State and trait
• Positive and negative affect
• Inclusion of nature in self
• Exposure to Get to Know and Agents of Nature
• Exposure to Calgary Parks
• Happiness: State and trait
• Positive and negative affect
• Inclusion of nature in self
• Park knowledge
• Exposure to Get to Know and Agents of Nature
• Exposure to Calgary Parks
• Happiness: State and trait
• Positive and negative affect
• Inclusion of nature in self
• Park knowledge
• Pro-environmental attitudes
• Exposure to Get to Know and Agents of Nature
• Exposure to Calgary Parks
• Happiness: State and trait
• Positive and negative affect
• Inclusion of nature in self
• Park knowledge
• Pro-environmental attitudes
• Agents of Nature app likes and dislikes
• Physical activity
• Exposure to Get to Know and Agents of Nature
• Exposure to Calgary Parks
• Happiness: State and trait
• Positive and negative affect
• Inclusion of nature in self
• Park knowledge
• Pro-environmental attitudes
• Agents of Nature app likes and dislikes
• Physical activity
• 34% of students had been to the park before
• Favourite part of visiting the park:
Ralph Klein – seeing the birds and their nests
Nose Hill – running down the hills
Devonian Gardens – Koi pond and fish
• 76% of students agreed that visiting the park made them want
to take better care of it
• 274 students used the Agents of Nature app
• 24% shared their tablet
• For those who shared, most often it was with 3 other students
• What did they like best?
“it was fun”
“the avatar”
• What did they like least?
“hard questions”
“not enough choices of avatars”
• First neutral party study
• Field collected data
• Issues with inventories
• Unequal samples sizes
• Impact of weather
• Pedometers
Future Directions:
• Studies that directly address the efficacy of park guided and
self guided tours
• More detailed studies on the Agents of Nature app
• Separating technology from the Agents of Nature app
• Participants who are blind to the study
• Positive and negative emotion