Effects of Outdoor School Ground Lessons on Students’ Science Process Skills and Scientific Curiosity

Kan Lin Ting,Nyet Moi Siew

doi:10.5539/jel.v3n4p96

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of outdoor school ground lessons on Year Five students’ science process skills and scientific curiosity. A quasi-experimental design was employed in this study. The participants in the study were divided into two groups, one subjected to the experimental treatment, defined as “eco-hunt” group and the other had no experimental treatment, defined as control group. This study used intact four classes which consisted of 119 students and randomly assigned to the treatment (n = 63) and control groups (n = 56). Students’ science process skill was measured by a self-developed Science Process Skills Test and students’ scientific curiosity was measured using Children Scientific Curiosity Scale adapted from Harty and Beall (1984). The results showed a significant difference in post-test mean scores between students in “eco-hunt” group and control group in both students’ science process skills and scientific curiosity. Follow-up comparisons on the dimensions of science process skills and scientific curiosity were analyzed and discussed. The findings of this study will provide a framework for science teachers to teach students through interesting and meaningful outdoor activities.

Highlights

Children spend most of their waking hours in schools
The specific research hypotheses of this study were: 1) There is no significant difference between students learning in “eco-hunt” group and control group in i) pre-test mean scores in science process skills (SPS), and ii) post-test mean scores in SPS
According to Gay and Airasian (2003, p. 467), if there is no significant difference between the two pre-test means, a t test can be computed on the post-test means

Summary

Introduction

Children spend most of their waking hours in schools. Science education in elementary schools should expand beyond the four walls of the classroom as many opportunities abound in the outdoor setting for learning about science. The school grounds become places where students learn about wildlife species and ecosystems but would sharpen up their science process skills and raise their natural curiosity (National Wildlife Federation, 2013). This inspired the present study to investigate if outdoor school ground lessons would give an effect on students’ science process skills and curiosity

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion