Positive Emotion in Nature as a Precursor to Learning

This study was designed to examine the perception of learning in adults generated by the effect of a positive
emotion-in this case, awe. For the study, a working definition of awe is an impact-provoking reverence due to a
powerful, positive emotional response to the natural world. This qualitative study used primarily face-to-face
interviews. A total of 71 adults were interviewed and 113 interviews were conducted. These adults described an
experience in which they felt impacted by awe and as a result perceived learning. Their descriptions were coded
to determine context of the experience and what was learned. Of the participants, 98.6% perceived that learning
occurred due to their powerful, emotional response to the nature experience they described. These findings
extend the current research on informal and formal science learning, natural resource management, experiential
education, and the study of emotions as experienced in nature.