COASTAL ZONE ACCESS AND THE PELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SAIL NEWPORT PROGRAM: EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION OUTCOMES IN NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND

Newport, Rhode Island is a diverse community. Although there is a population of very wealthy households in Newport, roughly 11% of the population lives below the poverty line. Newport is one of the more demographically diverse communities in Rhode Island, with 49.7% of its populous identifying as white, 27.1% identifying as black, and 18.2% identifying as Hispanic. The state of Rhode Island consists of 81% white, 6.5% African American and 5.8% other races and ethnicities. In this thesis I discuss the effects of a place-based experiential environmental education program, the Pell Elementary School Sail Newport Program, on this diverse demographic of students enrolled in the fourth grade at this school in Newport, Rhode Island. This population is of interest because of historic inequities in coastal access that remain today. To analyze the effects of this program on student knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, the same in-person survey was given to fourth grade participants after completing the program, as well as to third grade non-participants who would complete the program the following year. I performed informal participant observation to better analyze program impacts. Results of this study showed that students who participated in the program left with a positive attitude toward the sport of sailing and were more likely to say they planned to pursue opportunities to sail or boat in the future. Observation reinforced these results, as a great deal of enthusiasm and sailing knowledge was observed in members of the program’s 2018 Spring session. Results also indicated no relationship between participation in the program and changes in recreational or pro-environmental behavior. Implications for these findings warrant the development of similar programs throughout the United States, with the added recommendation of encouraging family-oriented education regarding access (i.e., a “family day” for Sail Newport’s Pell Students) and additional experiential knowledge regarding coastal access. Programs may also consider implementing this curriculum at a later state in childhood development (i.e., 7 or 8 grade, students aged 12 to 14) when more individual agency is afforded to students, and decisions regarding recreation are left to students.

There are barriers to recreational access to Newport Harbor and coastlines all over the US. The US Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 mandates the prioritization of public access availability for recreation on all major coastlines, but many states fall short in public coastal accessibility 2 . Public access is frequently hindered by competing demands on coastal space such as energy production, shipping facilities, and waterfront residential and commercial development. While there is inherent value in ensuring coastal access for the public, studies have shown that 1 Ralph Yarborough, "Introduction to the National Open Beaches Act," 91 st Cong., 1 st sess, Congressional Record 115 (October 16, 1969), pt. 22:30335 2 Coastal Zone Management Act of 1974, https://coast.noaa.gov/czm/act/ increased sense of place and connection to the environment -a potential outcome of increased public access to the coast -can lead to increased pro-environmental behavior 3 . Pro-environmental behavior is now more important than ever, as the planet continues to react to increased carbon emissions, marine plastic pollution, and global warming. Increased access to outdoor recreation can lead to an increased connection to the coast, and fragile coastal environments. Experiential environmental education is one way to introduce students to outdoor recreation and involvement and can foster feelings of connection and value in outdoor spaces.
Environmental education has long been cited as a method for increasing proenvironmental behavior. However, the nature of environmental education interventions formatted as day-long field-trips or in-class visits from educators often fails to create long-term changes 4 . Longer-term interventions, such as year-long curriculum changes and annual environmental education center visits, have been shown to create longer-term behavior changes 5 . Experiential programs that use experiences, as opposed to information, to teach have lasting impacts on students and associate meaning with learning. In order to better understand the connection between coastal access, experiential environmental education and environmental behavior, this study explores a year-long environmental education curriculum delivered to elementary school students in Newport, Rhode Island. This curriculum was developed Newport, Rhode Island is an international sailing hub. Newport was home to the defense of the America's Cup, the oldest and one of the most prestigious sailing races in the world, for over 50 years 6 . Sailing is part of Newport's identity, and remains an integral part of Newport's recreational scene and economy. While many competitive sailors and sailboats reside in Newport Harbor, much of the city's population remains locked out of the prestigious world of sailboat racing. Yacht clubs and sailing establishments have a mired history of racist and exclusionary policies 7 .
Many yacht clubs and sailing establishments were explicitly "white-only" for most of their history, including in that classification men-only, Christian-only, and rich-only as general but unwritten rules. This comes in stark contrast to the current demographics of Newport, which consists of an ethnically and economically diverse populous surrounded by some of the most exclusive recreational coast in the country. This study seeks to examine whether bringing historically underserved populations to this 6 History of the America's Cup, 12 Meter Charters, webpage accessed on March 14, 2019, https://12metercharters.com/about-us/sailing-history/americas-cup-race-history 7 Le Batard, Daniel, "OPEN SEAS?: Yacht Clubs Argue That They're Not Just for Rich Men," Los Angeles Times, August 13, 1989, http://articles.latimes.com/1989-08-13/sports/sp-859_1_yacht-clubmember/2 coastline through experiential environmental education programs will create a more universally valued and protected coastline through the inclusion of more sectors of people who feel a sense of connectedness to the coast than are currently present.
Sail Newport, Rhode Island's largest public sailing center, is located on Narragansett Bay in Newport, Rhode Island, and is a non-for-profit 501 (C) (3) company dedicated to providing affordable sailing instruction and rental opportunities for the public. Beginning in September 2017, Sail Newport partnered with the Newport Public School System for Pell Elementary School 4 th grade students to learn to sail as part of their regular school day. The mission of this program was to provide hands-on educational opportunities for children in the community to be exposed to life on and under the waters of Narragansett Bay 8 . The Sail Newport program exposed and educated Pell's 4 th grade class on the fundamentals of sailing, sustainability, marine science, weather and ocean conservation, with contributions and education instruction from related non-profit organizations and educational institutions such as Save the Bay can also come in the form of social barriers, as many environmental programs and areas are predominantly frequented by upper-or middle-class visitors. It is for these reasons that for environmental education programs to motivate behavioral changes, they must begin at an early stage in life and utilize more than traditional methods for sharing educational information 35 .
Immersive experience-based environmental education programs for children combine traditional environmental education with experiential learning. These experiences often remove the external barriers (i.e., inability to identify and locate environments, lack of transportation methods, busy school and work schedules) to environmentally focused behavior and attempt to create practices that can be replicated throughout the student's life.
Although here have been many attempts to create universal tools to measure the impacts of these programs on environmental awareness and behavior, no single methodology has been isolated as best practice. Instead, several worldviews and instruments have been combined to create an existing litany of studies on environmental thought, education, and behavior 36 . 34  Kear's (1990) study suggest using no more than four response options in surveys targeted towards children and adolescents. They also cite Jean Piaget's 1929 book "The Child's Conception of the World" to differentiate between his four stages of cognitive development to best scale surveys for children.

CONNECTEDNESS TO NATURE
Connectedness to nature or "place attachment" is generally defined as "the extent to which an individual includes nature within their cognitive representation of "Aquatic scientists develop an affinity for water before their academic careers begin; exposure to water bodies in childhood ignites interest. This exposure is not as available to minority youth…the legacy of segregated facilities means that parents and grandparents who were kept away from swimming pools, beaches, and state parks, are less inclined to introduce their own children to water-related activities. While minority youth are probably aware of various aquatic systems from the media, this does not replace direct experience with these systems" (Helmreich 2009, p. 203).

SAIL NEWPORT
While the Sail Newport program does not make any direct claims to be a cultivator for future scientists, there are, as noted above, distinct failures in inclusivity in the world of marine science. These failures may or may not stem from a historical divide in the recreational activities of youth of different demographics (ASLO, 2014).
A well-designed environmental education program that crosses structural and cultural barriers and accounts for demographic diversity in a given locale may confer unique benefits to minority children of low socioeconomic status (Larson et al, 2010). The Sail Newport program tries to address inclusion, as the program is offered free of charge to all students enrolled in the Newport public school system.
The mission of the Sail Newport Education program is the following: "provide hands-on educational opportunities for children in our community to be exposed to life on and under the waters of Narragansett Bay and beyond. The   1981;Chi, 1978;Chi & Klahr, 1975;Nitko, 1983). Additionally, a consistent, appropriate expectation on the part of the students was established by wording each survey with a uniform beginning; i.e., "How do you feel…. 53 " The surveys were given out in English and Spanish and took approximately 25 minutes to complete. The survey questions were read out loud two times before students were given the opportunity to answer. This practice was implemented because when a survey is read aloud, the "listening" or oral comprehension of text for children is approximately two years higher than their understanding of written material 54 .
During the survey administrations, questions from students regarding the survey were fielded and answered. Each survey consisted of three parts:  In addition, binary logistic regression was used to examine which factors had the greatest influence on one particular outcome, i.e. whether a student plans to be a boater in the future. Significance for all statistical tests was determined at the commonly-accepted 5% level. observation in which I observed the program but did not formally analyze the observational data. This field work was done to gain an understanding of the process of the program, get to know the students on an individual basis, and further the quality of my survey data interpretation (e.g., Bernard, 1988).

INFORMAL PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
During the eight weeks of the Spring session of the Sail Newport program, I attended the Tuesday and Thursday morning Pell Elementary School sailing programs.
I spent the first two weeks introducing myself to students and making certain the students, the sailing instructors, and the teachers were comfortable with my presence.
The students acclimated to me quickly, as they were interacting with adults of a similar age teaching them sailing and were aware of the Sail Newport environment as possessing many new faces. During the students one-hour on-land curriculum, I participated in the activities, helped students answer questions, and observed students reactions to various prompts, their level of attentiveness to the instruction, their comfort in various settings (i.e., at the rocky shore, at the beach, in the classroom) and their general knowledge on topics such as pollution, ecosystems, and earth science.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROGRAM PARTICIPATION AND KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS
In order to analyze the effects of the Pell Elementary School Sailing Program and the expected outcomes of the program, chi-square tests were run to discover relationships between the Program and variables related to participants' attitudes, knowledge and behavior.

Figure 4: Boating as a favorite activity (Boating Favorite) by participation in the Pell Sailing Program
Participation in the program is statistically significantly related to the variable Boating Favorite (χ 2 = 8.759, p-value = 0.003, N = 88, df = 1). The strength of the relationship is moderate (ф = .315, p = 0.003). There is a statistically signficant relationship between participation in the program and choosing boating as their favorite coastal activity.

Figure 5: Hanging out or playing by the shore as a favorite activity (Coastal Play Favorite) by participation in the Pell Sailing Program
The Pell Sailing program is statistically significantly related to the variable Coastal Play Favorite (χ 2 = 6.670, p-value = 0.010, N = 88, df = 1). The strength of the relationship is relatively weak (ф = .275, p = 0.010). Students who did not participate in the program are less likely to choose hanging out or playing by the water as their favorite waterfront activity than students who participated in the program. Students who participated in the program were more likely to indicate positive feelings (happy, excited, silly) in response to thinking about being on a boat alone than students who did not participate in the program.
There is a statistically significant relationship between the variable Future Boater and participation in the program (p-value = .035, N = 88, df = 1). This relationship is weak (ф = 0.224). There is a statistically signficant relationship between the variables Positive Boat Alone and Boating Favorite (χ 2 = 9.465, p-value = 0.002, N = 88, df = 1). The relationship between the variables is moderate (ф = .38, p = 0.002).

Figure 9: Positive Feelings in Response to Steering a Boat Alone (Positive Boat Alone) by Choosing Boating as a Favorite Activity (Boating Favorite)
There is a statistically signficant relationship between the variables Coastal Recreators, which includes those who either went sailing at Sail Newport not during school, went on a family member's boat, went on a friend's boat, or went to the waterfront for fun, and Beach Goer, which includes those who go to the beach every day or a few times a week in the summer (χ 2 = 4.505, p-value = 0.004, N = 88, df = 1).

Recreator) by Those Who Frequent the Beach (Beach Goer)
There is a statistically signficant relationship between the variables Sail Newport Know and Boating Favorite (χ 2 = 7.592, p-value = 0.012, N = 88, df = 1). The relationship between the two variables is relatively weak (ф = 0.267, p = 0.002).

Figure 11: Sail Newport Location ID (Sail Newport Know) by Choosing Boating as a Favorite Activity (Boating Favorite)
There is a statistically signficant relationship between the variable Sail Newport Know and Positive Boat Alone (χ 2 = 3.667, p-value =0.023, N= 88, df = 1). This relationship is weak (ф = 0.243, p = 0.002)

Figure 12: Sail Newport Location ID (Sail Newport Know) by Positive Feelings in Response to Steering a Boat Alone (Positive Boat Alone)
There is a statistically significant relationship between the variables Knowledgeable (those students who answered four out of six animal identification questions right) and Future Boaters (those students who indicated that they wanted to be a sailor or someone who works with the water when they grow up) (χ 2 = 4.418, p-value = 0.036, N = 88, df = 1). The relationship between the two variables is relatively weak (ф = 0.224).

FACTORS HAVING THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON THE OUTCOME OF BEING A FUTURE BOATER
A logistic regression was performed to analyze the relationship between Many of these students told me that had never previously been on a boat or seen Aquidneck Island from the water. This opportunity may have been their first and potentially only chance to begin a relationship with the water they are surrounded by.

PROGRAM EFFECTS ON KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR
There were several statistically significant and interesting relationships between a student's participation in the Sail Newport Pell Elementary School Sailing program and their knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Analysis of the survey data helped better understand these relationships, as did observational findings and statements made by individual students participating in the program. Of specific interest were changes in geographic knowledge, positive feelings regarding sailing, feelings of belonging at the coast, and coastal recreation behaviors.

PROGRAM EFFECTS ON KNOWLEDGE
The Sail Newport Pell Elementary School mission statement includes exposing and educating participants to the fundamentals of sailing, sustainability, marine science, weather and ocean conservation. Curriculum documents highlight geographic awareness and Narragansett Bay wildlife and habitat as educational goals. Findings indicate that only geographic knowledge (as observed through the variable "Sail Newport Know") was directly affected by participation in the Pell Elementary School Sailing program. There were no direct relationships between participation in the program and knowledge questions regarding animals who live in Narragansett Bay (as observed through the variable "All Know"). Participants and non-participants alike were knowledgeable about the animals; it may be that this is a topic covered during inschool education for both third and fourth graders. No survey questions were asked analyzing knowledge changes in sailing, weather, or ocean conservation practices as an impact of the program. It is possible that the program affected knowledge on these topics, but the survey was not designed to capture these impacts. The influence on students' knowledge of the location of Sail Newport reflects an increase in geographic comprehension that might give students more capacity to return to Sail Newport now that they know of its location. Knowing where a publicly available sailing center is located seems like an important aspect of experiential knowledge needed for students to access the coast in the future.
In my time observing the students at Sail Newport, I noticed a substantial increase in sailing knowledge as the second 8-week session went on. Students were more and more willing to provide answers to sailing instructors while on the water regarding the parts of the boat, the points of sail, and the landmarks surrounding Sail Newport's harbors. Of particular interest to the students was the Claiborne Pell bridge, which could be seen from the sailboat. Students were quick to point it out and identify it, doing so with pride. At the conclusion of the spring session, the students participated in a "Sailing Jeopardy" activity, which served as a test of the sailing knowledge learned in the previous eight weeks. This version of the famous television game was split into four categories: Sailing Guidelines/Safety, Lines, Boat Parts, and Navigation. There were certain questions everyone knew the answer to; for instance, parts of the boat such as the keel, tiller and boom were easy wins. More complex parts of the boat stumped most students; the winches (a gear used to assist in sheet trimming), for example, proved a difficult name to remember. The "Boat Parts" category, in fact, was the first to be completed. Navigation proved somewhat more difficult; students had a hard time remembering the names of various points of sail like "run" and "beam reach." Sailing Guidelines/Safety questions had clearly been drilled into the minds of students repeatedly -the term "lifejacket" was used in response to many safety questions, as were the rules against running on the dock and ducking when the boom swings over. The students demonstrated a clear understanding of the basics of sailing, knowledge of parts of the boat, and navigational landmarks surrounding Sail Newport.
The Sail Newport Jeopardy game demonstrates that the Pell Elementary School Sail Newport program seemed to increase sailing knowledge of the students.
As noted, the survey instrument did not ask about sailing knowledge. It would be useful for future studies to examine impacts of this program on sailing knowledge.
Questions did ask about conservation and pollution knowledge, but the survey data did demonstrate a change in knowledge on these topics.
Students participating in the program demonstrated a high level of awareness on these issues, however. Pollution and stewardship were concepts stressed by Sailors for the Sea during their day of curriculum with the program. Sailors for the sea is an organization based in Newport that focuses on ocean health through sailing and racing.
Sailors for the Sea was one of several not-for-profit groups partnering with Sail Newport to provide curriculum on stewardship and marine pollution. During their lesson on April 26 th , 2018, compost, natural resources and plastic pollution were taught using demonstrations of items made from natural resources that became elements of marine pollution. Items such as aluminum, newspaper, cardboard, fishing line, straws and shampoo bottles were shown to students, who were asked to guess how long each item might take to break down in the ocean. Students demonstrated familiarity with these concepts, answering these questions accurately and with conviction. Students were familiar with terms such as microplastics, compost, and natural resources. When asked how the problem of plastic pollution might be solved, students offered applicable solutions such as using reusable items, picking up garbage when it is seen, recycling, and reusing single-use Because…" prompts seen in Figures 1 and 2 Sail Newport program. These drawings and captions indicate the fun and enjoyment students got from sailing.
Participant observation reinforced this observed affinity. When students got off the bus from their school each day, the first question they asked were almost always regarding who got to go sailing first, and how long they would get to be on the water.
While on the water, several students demonstrated their excitement by lots of laughing and giggling, excited screaming, running their hands in the water, and asking excitedly when they would have a chance to steer the boat. Students enthusiastically told me about experiences they had on boats outside of the Sail Newport program on boats belonging to friends or family members. The most convincing demonstration of a students' excitement and enjoyment came from a boy who had experienced some disagreement with his friends and was visibly upset by this interaction. He sulked for the on-land portion of the lesson, barely participating and remaining aside from the group with his arms crossed. He remained surly while the boat was being rigged and prepared, but as soon as the boat got underway, his arms uncrossed, his brow unfurrowed, and he began to smile. He was quickly cured of his poor mood and appeared to forget entirely about the disagreement that kept him distanced from the on-land segment of class.
Participants in the program were more likely to indicate a desire to be a boater or someone who works with the water in the future. These findings indicate that the program succeeds in beginning to shape future sailors, boaters, or people who work with the water. Creating these attitudes in elementary-school aged children is integral to influencing life-long practices. Participants in the program, through their increased positivity towards sailing, may seek out opportunities to sail in the future because of their formative sailing experiences through this program. The structured exposure to coastal recreation offered through this program may have been unavailable to students otherwise. This exposure is an important factor in shaping future environmental behavior, as students introduced to coastal recreation may develop feelings of value for these places in the future. 58 Leeming et al, 1995

PROGRAM EFFECTS ON BEHAVIOR
The survey data reveal little to no relationship between participation in the program and changes in behavior. The survey demonstrates no connection between participation in the program and increased coastal access or increased proenvironmental behavior. It may be that the survey questions did not capture changes in behavior that did occur as a result of the program, or that the program simply did not encourage behavioral changes in participants. There is a growing field of scholarly research that analyzes the "agency" of children in behavioral studies. Much of the recent work on this field rejects the notion that children exercise agency; that is, that children knowingly act on their worlds to change them 59 . Instead, most scholars agree that the behavior of children is controlled mostly by their parents, or whatever adult is given the responsibility of caring for them. Questions in the survey addressed frequency of access to certain resources, such as a family or friend's boat. The survey also addressed the frequency with which students went to the beach or accessed the coast after participating in the program. An inability to control recreational activities in elementary-school aged children may make these questions ineffective. Students participating in the Sail Newport program, as students aged seven-to-nine years old, are not likely to make decisions regarding recreation on their own. Students may not have the ability to access coastal resources without their parents' participation, even in a coastal island setting such as Newport and Aquidneck Island. 59 Lancy, David F., "Unmasking Children's Agency" (2012 were not apparent from this study, there is no reason to believe that participation in this program will not have effects on the future of access and inclusion in Newport.

SENSE OF BELONGING IN AND AROUND THE SHORE
Two essential outcomes of the Pell Elementary School Sailing Program were changes in feelings of belonging and changes in attitudes regarding stewardship. A sense of belonging at the coast is made up of emotional connectedness to this area, potentially a product of exposure and repeated positive experiences. Eco-psychologists contend that feelings of connection to nature are an important predictor of a type of ecological behavior known as stewardship. In this way, these two concepts (belonging and stewardship) are closely tied together. A product of belonging or connectedness to nature is the extension of the moral community to include the land -or in this case, the coast 60 . As stated in Mayer and Franz (2004), the inclusion of land or the natural world in one's moral community includes an expansion of one's sense of self; one's own welfare becomes tied to the welfare of the natural world. It is this demonstrated linking of care that the Pell Sailing program seeks to instill in participants.
The survey instrument demonstrated a connection between choosing boating as a favorite coastal activity and feeling a sense of belonging at the coast. Additionally, students who indicated feelings of belonging at the coast were more likely to express a desire to be a boater or someone who works with the water in the future. Furthermore, participants in the program were more likely than non-participants to indicate that they wanted to be a boater or someone who works with the water when they grow up. Other tests indicating connections between being knowledgeable (either about the location of Sail Newport and/or animals that live in Narragansett Bay) and choosing boating as a favorite activity indicate that there is a connection between learning in this experiential setting and a desire to return to it.
There was a signficant relationship between the variables Boating Favorite and Belonging. Findings show that those who did not indicate that boating was their favorite coastal activity were less likely to indicate that they felt like they belonged at the coast. What this demonstrates is that an increased level of enjoyment of boating is related to a feeling that one belongs at the waterfront. This sense of belonging is important; a sense of place and connectedness to nature is one of the key goals of environmental education. While the Sail Newport program is not in itself statistically related to feelings of belonging, it is related to choosing boating a favorite coastal 60 Mayer,F. Stephan. Franz,Cynthia MacPherson,ibid activity, which may eventually grow into feelings of belonging at the coast. Students may be able to choose sailing later in life.

WHY SAILING?
Environmental education has been promoted as a way to shape the state of connectedness to nature, pro-environmental attitudes and environmental knowledge 61 .
The literature states that this is a result of increases in both informational and experiential knowledge, as well as through a connection to nature that occurs as a product of familiarity with outdoor spaces, enjoyment of outdoor activities, and a sense of belonging in the spaces that make these experiences possible. Various scholars have observed the importance of developing learners' sense of place in addition to knowledge and scientific literacy as precursors to stewardship 62 . Sailing has been acknowledged as an effective method for promoting the connection between sociocultural history and activity in experiential education settings, fostering a more developed sense of place 63 . The sport of sailing requires an intimate and focused relationship with the space in which it takes place. To succeed in sailing a boat, a sailor needs to have a basic understanding of fundamental aspects of wind, wave energy, and hydrodynamics. Unlike operating a motor-powered vessel, a sailing vessel puts the skipper in closer connection with the nature surrounding it, not farther away.
On the Sail Newport Pell Elementary School webpage, sailing is lauded as a way to instill confidence and self-reliance, teach teamwork, planning, problem solving and communication, connect people to nature, instill discipline and maturity, inspire learning about weather, water and the marine environment, and teach skills that transfer to life success at school, at work and in the community 64 . Most important of these skills, I would argue, is the ability of sailing to connect people to nature. Sailing brings people to the coast and creates a deep connection between sailor and water.
These are the connections that I believe foster stewardship and protection.
The coastline in America is a contentious space; development and preservation compete for limited space in an already sensitive and dynamic setting. A closer look at these contentions will reveal a similar tension between available recreational coastline; that is, the social battle between classes competing for highly inadequate coastal space. This contention has been underway for centuries (i.e., settler colonialism) and to love the coast and the sport of sailing are more likely to protect it in the future.
Additionally, students who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to participate in coastal recreation activities like sailing now have the informational and experiential knowledge to repeat these behaviors in the future.

LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Pell Elementary School Sail Newport program set out to expose and educate participants to the fundamentals of sailing, sustainability, marine science, weather and ocean conservation. Many of these mission goals were met. Program participants left the program with a higher level of sailing knowledge, an exposure to marine science and sustainability concepts, and an appreciation for the coastline. Other goals, such as increased knowledge in ocean conservation methods, an increased desire to engage in sustainability efforts, and changes in coastal access were not evident in the findings.
In order to more effectively capture the elements of coastal access in children, survey instrument questions could address changes in desires to access the coast more frequently. Alternatively, educational programs seeking to increase coastal access in elementary-aged children may expand programming to include families and caregivers. Expanding programming to include families -potentially realized through a weekend of programming inviting families to Sail Newport -may enlighten parents to possibilities for coastal recreation of which they would not otherwise be aware.
Studies that seek to understand programs like these would benefit from the following suggestions: 1) Gather baseline data more broadly on knowledge base; include questions regarding sailing knowledge and sociocultural location knowledge (history of Newport, sailing culture, etc.) 2) Gather data from families as well as children, as children lack agency to control many behavior changes.
3) Perform analysis on individuals before and after they participate in the program instead of participants and non-participants as a whole; changes in individuals can be more informative than overall changes (this study was unable to contain this analysis due to time constraints).
Institutions that seek to achieve goals such as those stated in the Sail Newport Pell Elementary School Mission would benefit from the following changes to curriculum

Parental / Legally Authorized Representative Permission Document for Research
To Whom It May Concern: My name is Leah Feldman, and I am a graduate student in the University of Rhode Island's Marine Affairs department. I am reaching out in regards to your child's participation in Pell Elementary School's Sail Newport Education program.
For my University of Rhode Island Graduate School master's thesis, I, alongside Professor Tracey Dalton, Marine Affairs Department Chair of URI, am conducting a study analyzing the impact of this program on student's environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding the coast. For this purpose, I have created a survey to measure things like frequency of visits to the water and knowledge of marine life and geography. This survey will take about 15 minutes, and will be administered at Sail Newport if your child is in 4 th grade and in the classroom if your child is in 3 rd grade.
The risks associated with this survey are minimal. Your child may feel uncomfortable thinking about topics such as pollution and access. These risks are similar to those experienced when discussing personal information with others. If your child feels upset from this experience, you or your child can tell the researcher, and he/she will tell you about resources available to help. There is no benefit for taking part in this study. However, we hope the information we get from this study may help develop a greater understanding of access programs such as Sail Newport in the future.
This survey will remain confidential, and no names will be connected with the results of the survey. The students will be asked to give their assent to participate in the survey, but in order to ensure informed consent you as parents must also agree to have your child participate. This survey is entirely optional, and your child will not be punished or excluded from any activities if they do not participate. You are under no obligation to allow your child to participate in the survey.
If you wish to remove your child from this study, please sign and return this paper. If you have any questions about this study, please feel free to contact me at leahfeldman10@uri.edu or Professor Tracey Dalton at Dalton@uri.edu.
Thank you very much! Best wishes,

Leah Feldman University of Rhode Island Masters of Marine Affairs
By signing this consent form, I confirm I have read the information in this parental permission document and have had the opportunity to ask questions. I will be given a signed copy of this parental permission document. I do not wish to have my child participate in this study. Mi nombre es Leah Feldman y soy estudiante de posgrado en el Departamento de Asuntos Marinos en la Universidad de Rhode Island. Estoy contactando con respecto a la participación de su hijo en el programa "Sail Newport Educacion de la Escuela Primaria Pell". Para mi tesis de maestría en la Escuela de Posgrado de la Universidad de Rhode Island, estoy estudiando el impacto de este programa en el conocimiento, actitudes y comportamientos ambientales de los estudiantes. Por este propósito, he creado una encuesta para medir cosas como la frecuencia de visitas al oceano y el conocimiento de la vida marina y la geografía.

____________________________
Esta encuesta se mantendrá confidencial y no se vincularán nombres con los resultados de la encuesta. Se les pedirá a los estudiantes que den su consentimiento para participar en la encuesta, pero ustedes como padres también deben aceptar que su hijo participe. Esta encuesta es completamente opcional y su hijo no será castigado ni excluido de ninguna actividad si no participa. No tiene la obligación de permitir que su hijo participe en la encuesta.
Si desea eliminar a su hijo de este estudio, firme y devuelva este documento. A SURVEY is kind of like a TEST, but there are no wrong answers! A SURVEY is something that helps someone understand a certain subject. Today our subject is the water and YOUR relationship to it.
If you are reading this, you are either a 3 rd grader getting ready to learn to sail, or a 4 th grader who has mastered the high seas with Sail Newport. We want to know a little about what this program has done, or might do, for you.
Remember, there are NO wrong answers! We just want to know about your time at Sail Newport. We hope that maybe someday other public schools will get to have programs like this, and everyone will be able to use the water like you have.
Don't worry, no one except my team and I will be able to see your answers, and it will stay TOTALLY confidential. Confidential means your answers are safe! If you have any questions about this, or the survey itself, please feel free to ask your teachers or me.
You do NOT have to take this survey. Saying no to this survey will not affect your grades in your class. If you DO want to take the survey, write your name on the dotted line below. You can stop taking the survey at any time. This survey will take about 15 minutes. Thank you! I was able to ask questions about this study. Signing my name at the bottom means that I agree to be in this study. My parent or guardian and I will be given a copy of this form after I have signed it.

__________
The participant is capable of reading the assent form and has signed above as documentation of assent to take part in this study.

__________
The participant is not capable of reading the assent form, but the information was verbally explained to him/her. The participant signed above as documentation of assent to take part in this study.

Leah Feldman University of Rhode Island Department of Marine Affairs
Hola! Te piden que participes en una ENCUESTA. ¿Sabes que es una ENCUESTA?

ATTITUDES
For each of these questions, choose the face (or faces!) that match best.

12)
When I think about being on the shore, I feel: 11) When I think about steering a boat myself, I feel: 10) When I think about being on a boat with an adult, I feel: 13) When I think about polluting the water, I feel: