Emotional geographies experienced during international fieldwork: an evaluation of teaching and learning strategies for reflective assessment

Abstract

The benefits and challenges of international fieldwork are well rehearsed. However, understanding of students’ affective experiences during fieldwork is less well developed. Little examination has been given to how tutors respond to the affective and emotional geographies that arise during international fieldwork which also affect perceptions of “place”. Using the innovative strategy of student-led teaching of peers, this paper examines how, firstly, the emotional geographies on international fieldwork can be identified and, secondly, how tutors can respond with appropriate teaching and learning strategies to enhance the fieldwork experience of students in terms of their personal and scholarly development. Based on field courses to Barcelona, Spain, we analyse a range of media from video and oral interviews, field notebooks and reflective essays to reveal students’ perceptions and emotions of participating in international fieldwork. Most revealing are the themes and issues raised by more “immediate” reflection undertaken in-the-field compared to the more “refined” and considered reflexivity completed after the fieldtrip. Such understandings of the emotional geographies can enable appropriate teaching and learning strategies to be employed.

Keywords:

• Emotion
• fieldwork
• fieldtrip
• pedagogy
• reflection

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support and feedback during a presentation of this paper during the JGHE@40 celebrations at the Royal Geographical Society-Institute of British Geographers. Comments from the anonymous referees and the editor have been constructive and have helped to clarify ideas.