Attitudes and Awareness of Hiking Guides Towards Environmental Issues: A Field Study

Abstract

This study was conducted to reveal the attitudes and awareness of nature hike guides towards environmental issues. The research was designed using a holistic single-case design, which is one of the qualitative research approaches, to determine the attitudes and awareness of nature hike guides towards environmental issues. The study group was selected using purposive sampling methods, specifically criterion sampling. The criteria for participation in the study were being over 18 years old, having at least a high school diploma, and having at least 5 years of regular experience as a nature hike guide. A total of 12 nature hike guides, 9 males and 3 females, who met these criteria, participated in the research. Data was collected using a semi-structured interview form and analyzed using content analysis method. To ensure the validity of the study, credibility, transferability, reliability, and confirmability criteria were considered. To ensure reliability, interviews were recorded and transcribed, and individual coding was performed by different researchers. As a result of the analysis, three main themes emerged in line with the theoretical framework: Nature conservation and sustainability, Environmental awareness and education, and Interaction between nature and humans. Nature hike guides stated that the most common environmental problem encountered during activities is litter left in nature. Access roads to the areas where nature hikes take place and new trails opened for nature hikes are seen as important issues for the sustainability of the environment. Nature hikes play an important role in making participants more conscious and aware of environmental issues.

Keywords

• Hiking guides
• Environmental issues
• Attitude
• Awareness

Doğa Yürüyüşü Rehberlerinin Çevre Sorunlarına Karşı Tutum ve Farkındalıkları: Bir Alan Araştırması

Öz

Bu araştırma, doğa yürüyüşü rehberlerinin çevre sorunlarına karşı tutumlarını ve farkındalıklarını ortaya koymak amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırmada, doğa yürüyüşü rehberlerinin çevre sorunlarına karşı tutum ve farkındalıklarını belirlemek için nitel araştırma yaklaşımlarından biri olan durum çalışması desenlerinden biri olan bütüncül tek durum deseninde tasarlanmıştır. Çalışma grubu amaçlı örnekleme yöntemlerinden ölçüt örnekleme yöntemine göre seçilmiştir. Araştırmaya katılan doğa yürüyüşü rehberlerinin 18 yaşından büyük olması, en az lise mezunu olması ve en az 5 yıldır düzenli olarak doğa yürüyüşü rehberliği deneyime sahip olması araştırmaya katılma ölçütleri olarak belirlenmiştir. Bu ölçütleri sağlayan, 9 erkek ve 3 kadın olmak üzere 12 doğa yürüyüşü rehberi yer almıştır. Veriler yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılarak toplanmıştır ve analizinde içerik analizi yöntemi uygulanmıştır. Araştırmanın geçerliliğini sağlamak amacıyla inandırıcılık, aktarılabilirlik, güvenilirlik ve doğrulanabilirlik kriterleri esas alınmıştır. Güvenilirliği sağlamak için görüşmeler kaydedilerek yazıya aktarılmış ve farklı araştırmacılar tarafından bireysel kodlama yapılmıştır. Yapılan analizler sonucunda kuramsal çerçeveye uygun olarak; Doğa koruma ve sürdürülebilirlik, Çevre bilinci ve eğitimi ve Doğa ile insan etkileşimi olarak üç ana tema ortaya çıkmıştır. Doğa yürüyüşü rehberleri, aktiviteler esnasında en sık karşılaşılan çevre sorununun doğaya bırakılan çöpler olduğunu belirtmişlerdir. Doğa yürüyüşlerinin gerçekleştiği alanlara ulaşım için yapılan araç yolları ve doğa yürüyüşü için açılan yeni parkurlar çevrenin sürdürülebilirliği açısından önemli bir sorun olarak görülmektedir. Doğa yürüyüşleri, katılımcıların çevre sorunlarına karşı daha bilinçli ve farkındalık sahibi olmalarında önemli bir rol oynamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Doğa yürüyüşü rehberleri
• Çevre sorunları
• Tutum
• Farkındalık

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