Abstract
We conducted two studies to evaluate strategies that Extension educators may use to enrich youth travel program experiences. Study 1 evaluated the effects of telling stories about attractions before site visits on youth experiences and learning outcomes on site. Seventeen youth in a 4-H program designed to promote cultural understanding visited eight attractions in Costa Rica. The evening before visiting three sites, youth were told a fictional or cross-fictional story about the sites. The stories elicited imaginary travel to the site (narrative transportation). After visiting the sites, the youth reported the extent to which they felt like they were in a story (narrative re-visitation) while on-site. They also reported their anticipated impact of learning experiences on one of the program’s learning outcomes. Narrative transportation significantly increased narrative re-visitation. Both factors significantly increased the anticipated impact on learning outcomes. In Study 2, 35 4-H youth visited 12 agricultural sites in the Western U.S. and Canada. Three experimental conditions were created by an Extension educator: vastness emphasized via educator comments, vastness not emphasized, and baseline. The two treatment conditions produced greater awe than baseline. The relation between awe and anticipated impact on learning outcomes was significant.
Recommended Citation
Ellis, G.,
Paymard, P.,
Goebel, D.,
Locke, D.,
Zanolini, W. F.,
Catalan, E.,
&
Ranly, K.
(2025). Enhancing Youth Learning Outcomes of Travel Programs through Storytelling.
Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 13(3), 9.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55533/2325-5226.1554
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