High School Biology Field Expeditions

Abraham, Norman; Kennedy, Manert H.; Liebherr, Harold G.

doi:10.2307/4441360

Cited by 2 publications

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“…It is useful to make a distinction between field trips and exposures of longer duration to work in the field. Abraham, Kennedy, and Liebherr define field exposures of two to five days as "field expeditions" and describe four examples of such programs at the secondary level [3]. All of these were subjectively declared to be quite successful and the authors encouraged their inclusion in BSCS courses.…”

Section: Ribanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examination of a model for field studies in science

Riban

1976

Science Education

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introductionMost school systems make some provision for learning experiences outside of the school's physical environment. In the sciences, the most frequently encountered e &~n a l activity is the collection of biological specimens in the field. Essentially expository activities, such as visits to industrial plants, museums, zoos, and the like, constitute the majority of the remainder. Rarely is the natural setting used as a true extension of the science laboratory; that is, to pose problems of interpretation to students and to provide a superabundance of potential data, thus requiring hypothesis formation to determine the data to be collected and examined.Several developments in science education over the last two decades should act to promote increased interest in fieldwork. First of all, science curricula have increasingly emphasized an understanding of the empirical process. With increasing training in methodology, the temptation to examine ''real" problems (i.e., student-perceived rather than text or teacher-perceived problems) should increase. The examination of studentperceived problems in a processcentered curriculum is a logical evolution from the concept of relevance in the same way that consideration of applications of principles assumes new importance in a contentcentered curriculum.The second impetus to fieldwork in the sciences comes through the increased emphasis on the environment. One evidence of impending effects upon the schools is the decision Of the National Science Foundation to award half of its Summer Institute grants for secondary school teacher-training in the summer of 1973 in the area of environmental studies [l] . It is reasonable to assume that some of this training as well as some of its fallout in the secondary schools will occur in the field rather than in the classroom.In view of the potential importance of the nonschool environment as an extension of the science laboratory, the literature relating to the learning process in the field setting is quite fragmentary. Most of the published work in outdoor science education tends to be a subjective affirmation of the value of such experiences to students coupled with the author's recommendations for conducting similar work.A few studies on the effects of field work have been reported. Recently, Chrouser[Z] compared indoor and outdoor laboratories in biology in their effects on prospective elementary teachers. One class in the spring term and one in the following summer session (N=28, 12) were split into indoor laboratory and outdoor laboratory groups. The split 1 Science Education, 60(1): 1-11 (1976)

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Section: Ribanmentioning

confidence: 99%