| Summary |
The implementation of a required credit in Earth/Environmental Science for all students entering high school during the 2000/2001 school year forced numerous teachers into the classroom with little to no content background to fill new class sections. These teachers, in turn, relied heavily upon information in textbooks and neglected the outdoor learning environment for lack of comfort with its teaching methods. This study presents an Earth/Environmental Science class that frequently utilizes the outdoor setting by use of fieldwork in order to study the effects and benefits of such teaching practices. Methods include observations of classroom and field-based practices used throughout the course, administration of a survey before and after the course, and interviews with students concerning their opinions regarding the nature of the course. Classroom and field observations provide information on the types of activities included in the course, relationships between outdoor and indoor instructional activities, and the benefits associated with each activity. While surveys did not support environmental knowledge and attitude gain, interviews reveal that students enjoy outdoor education and feel they learn better from this mode of active instruction. The study provides implications for restructuring the secondary and elementary science classroom to include more outdoor learning activities in addition to structuring professional development programs and educating the community. |
| General note | Presented to the faculty of the Department of Mathematics and Science Education. |
| General note | Advisor: Karen R. Dawkins |
| General note | Advisor: Scott B. Watson |
| Dissertation note | M.A. East Carolina University 2003 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-76). |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
