A Comparison of Computer‐Assisted Instruction and Field‐Based Learning for Youth Rangeland Education

Abstract

Field‐based learning experiences are often used to increase the effectiveness of science curricula. However, time and financial limitations in public schools often hinder a teacher's ability to bring their students into the field for learning, despite increased demands to incorporate more science content into their curricula. In addition, federal mandates are placing more pressure on teachers to integrate educational technologies in their classrooms. Our objective was to compare a computer‐based rangeland education module to a field‐based version of the module. Data from pre‐ and post‐tests were analyzed to determine whether student knowledge gain differed among treatment groups. In addition, grade level (5th and 6th), gender, prior levels of computer use, and familiarity with nature were examined for their impact on knowledge gain. Findings indicated that both the field‐ and computer‐based experiences effectively improved student knowledge gain regarding rangelands and rangeland plants and that each modality was most effective for 5th grade students. No gender differences were observed between treatments. Prior levels of computer use were inversely related to knowledge gain for students in the computer treatment group. Familiarity with nature had no detectable influence on knowledge gain for students in the field treatment group. Results suggest that both modalities of rangeland education were effective in promoting knowledge of rangelands and that computer‐assisted instruction can be used as an effective alternative to traditional field‐based rangeland education.