This study explores the impacts of using Appreciative Inquiry (AI) for curriculum development in environmental education. AI is a process designed to facilitate organizational change through positive inquiry and collaboration. I applied AI's 4-D Cycle (Discovery, Dream, Design, and Destiny) at a small nonformal environmental education organization, Gore Range Natural Science School (GRNSS), to determine if the process could bring about a more visionary curriculum and begin to cultivate an ecological worldview among staff, board members, and program participants. This thesis provides details about the organization and its programs, makes a case for using AI in this context, details the AI process and how I applied it in this unique setting, and summarizes the outcomes of each stage of the 4-D Cycle. The Discovery and Dream outcomes show the results of 16 interviews with GRNSS's staff and board members and 14 interviews with local school district teachers and administrators. The Design outcomes summarize program recommendations and the kindergarten through 12th-grade curriculum framework that emerged from the interview results and collaborations with staff. Finally, the Destiny outcomes outline the tangible results of the project: a project report used to solicit support from the local school district, a report to GRNSS's program staff with program recommendations and a series of guiding principles for program development and staff training, a third-grade pilot program based on the proposed curriculum framework, and integration of some materials into GRNSS's graduate coursework in environmental education. In conclusion, I found that the project had not yet ushered in a more visionary curriculum and an ecological worldview at GRNSS, but steps were made in that direction and the AI process held promise for both of these goals.
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