Assessing learning in the outdoors

By Heather King - June 2013


PAPER CITATION

Morag, O., & Tal, T. (2012). Assessing learning in the outdoors with the Field Trip in Natural Environments (FiNE) framework. International Journal of Science Education, 34(5), 745–777.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0950...



Despite increasing interest in the educational potential of outdoor learning experiences, limited research has focused on assessing and identifying “good” outdoor education practice. In this paper, the authors propose a theoretically based practical framework for assessing field trips in nature parks and other outdoor settings. The framework was developed and refined during the course of observations of 22 field trips and interviews with 41 students.

Theoretical Basis 

The Field Trip in Natural Environments (FiNE) framework builds on the work of Storksdieck (2006) and Brody (2005). Storksdieck’s (2006) model of learning in museum environments focuses on prior interest and knowledge, components of the field trip, and short- and long-term outcomes. It does not specifically address outdoor learning experiences. For example, it does not examine the effect of different seasons, different types of experiences, and so on. Brody’s (2005) model of field trips examines the nature of learning in terms of how students act, think and feel. It incorporates interactions between the physical, individual, and social elements of the experience over time. However, Brody’s model does not allow for assessment or comparison. Nor does it consider factors such as planning and pedagogy.

The FiNE framework examines the pedagogy employed in field trips and the outcomes reported by students. It also examines students’ prior knowledge, their interpersonal interactions, and the degree of teacher planning and preparation.

The framework can be presented as three rings around an inner circle. The outermost ring is preparation, which is subdivided into connection to curriculum, preparation, and communication.

The middle ring is pedagogy, which is subdivided into facilitator’s performance, clarifying goals, using the environment, connecting to everyday life, and social interactions.

The inner ring, activity, is subdivided into the student’s perspective of the learning and the physical experiences and the researcher’s observation of the learning and the physical experiences.

Finally, the inner circle is outcomes, which is subdivided into feelings, attitudes and beliefs, and knowledge and understanding.

Each one of the 13 component areas can be scored on a simple three-point rubric: absent, partially addressed, or fully addressed. On the ring diagram, each component may be colour-coded to reflect its score, creating a visual representation of the field trip that can facilitate comparison with other experiences.

The FiNE framework examines the pedagogy employed in field trips and the outcomes reported by students. It also examines students’ prior knowledge, their interpersonal interactions, and the degree of teacher planning and preparation.

The framework can be presented as three rings around an inner circle. The outermost ring is preparation, which is subdivided into connection to curriculum, preparation, and communication.

The middle ring is pedagogy, which is subdivided into facilitator’s performance, clarifying goals, using the environment, connecting to everyday life, and social interactions.

The inner ring, activity, is subdivided into the student’s perspective of the learning and the physical experiences and the researcher’s observation of the learning and the physical experiences.

Finally, the inner circle is outcomes, which is subdivided into feelings, attitudes and beliefs, and knowledge and understanding.

Each one of the 13 component areas can be scored on a simple three-point rubric: absent, partially addressed, or fully addressed. On the ring diagram, each component may be colour-coded to reflect its score, creating a visual representation of the field trip that can facilitate comparison with other experiences.

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Research Findings

In analysing the completed ring diagrams of 22 field trips, the authors made the following assessments of the field trips they observed:

• Planning was poor and good classroom preparation uncommon. 
• Coordination between facilitators and classroom teachers was limited. 
• Content was only occasionally connected to the school curriculum. 
• Most of the learning activities were demonstrations in which the students were passive. 
• Pedagogical goals were rarely discussed or even defined. 
• The environment was insufficiently used as a learning resource. 
• Facilitators inadequately connected the field trip to students’ everyday lives. 
• Facilitators showed good interpersonal skills and treated students with respect.

The total scores of the 22 field trips varied widely, leading the authors to note that their findings are generalisations that do not apply to every case.

Implications for Practice

The FiNE framework offers a highly visual tool for examining field trip experiences. It may take a little time for practitioners to become confident in interpreting these visual representations and even longer for them to complete coloured diagrams for themselves. Nonetheless, the categories of focus—from planning to pedagogy, activity to outcomes—highlight the complexity of field trip learning. They can remind informal science educators how much effort is required to produce an effective field trip.

The FiNE framework was designed to examine experiences in natural settings in Israel. With a little modification, however, the framework could easily be employed in other outdoor, and museum, settings. Indeed, the authors are currently developing a questionnaire that will allow the framework to be used in a variety of environments (both indoor and out) and by field trip leaders themselves, rather than by researchers.