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Abstract

Educators and scholars consistently revisit, revise, and reflect on the best methods to implement environmental education and prepare educators to be effective environmental educators. The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) works to professionalize and improve the field of Environmental Education (EE) by creating standards, including guidelines specifically for preparing environmental educators in training and educational settings. Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE), an affiliate of the NAAEE, offers a competency-based certification program framed within NAEEE's guidelines. EE certification is a voluntary pursuit of increasing competence, confidence, and knowledge in environmental education. The value of certification has yet to be fully realized, with limited research investigating the outcomes of environmental education certification programs. This study utilizes a non-experimental mixed-method design to investigate the value of the CAEE certification program. Through survey research, the results in this study indicate that individuals are motivated differently to participate in certification and that individuals at later stages in their careers may be more intrinsically motivated. Furthermore, participants identified overall positive outcomes of participating in certification at all stages of one's career, and this study identifies specific benefits. Lastly, the study provides a list of suggestions for the CAEE based on participants' experiences and obstacles to increase the value of their certification program.

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