Abstract
Authentic activities in school are rare although they probably lead to longer lasting learning. In our study, 185 fifth to seventh graders participated in an out-of-classroom lesson at a major water supply institution. After an introductory film presentation, participants proceeded to authentic learning sites with the major machinery involved in water purification. We monitored participants’ environmental attitudes (using 2-MEV scale), newly acquired knowledge, and responses to semantic-differential-items. While knowledge and the value of Preservation correlated significantly with cognitive learning achievement levels, the one of (exploitative) Utilisation did not, neither short- nor long-term. Selected semantic-differential-items such as ‘easy to understand’ and ‘motivating’ showed positive correlation with acquired knowledge levels. The relevance for school is discussed.
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