Why do French students like fieldwork?

ABSTRACT

In the teaching of natural science, field trips are a means of bringing students directly into contact with the biological and geological aspects of the environment. The present study explored French students’ views of fieldwork and the relationships they establish with the natural environment as a result. We analyzed the responses of 293 primary and secondary school students to a questionnaire administered immediately before and after a fieldwork. Students’ interest in fieldwork was based on their affinity for nature and desire to learn, as well as their sensory experience of the natural world and the sense of wellbeing they derived from it. The relationship between affinity, self-interest and situational interest is discussed in terms of how a fieldwork can help to reinforce students’ relationship with nature.

KEYWORDS:

• fieldwork
• learning
• interest
• affinity
• nature

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the students and teachers who agreed to answer our questionnaires, some of whom we followed in the field.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Structure Fédérative de Recherche (SFR) Apprentissage, Education, Formation (AEF) - Institut National Supérieur du Professorat et de l'Education (INSPE) Toulouse Occitanie Pyrénées.

Notes on contributors

Raphaël Chalmeau

Chalmeau Raphaël is a lecturer in life sciences and has been involved in environmental education and sustainable development (EESD) training since 2000. He teaches didactics of life sciences at the higher school of teaching and education (INSPE), Jean Jaurès University, Toulouse, France, for primary school future teachers. The professional training of teachers in France takes place over two years with students enrolled in master’s degrees. He is involved in research projects in educational sciences on the challenges of EESD and in life sciences didactics. He conducts research at the Geode laboratory: an environmental Geography laboratory and a joint CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) and Jean Jaurès University laboratory (SFR-AEF).

http://w3.geode.univ-tlse2.fr/presentation_gb.php

Marie-Pierre Julien

Marie-Pierre Julien is a lecturer in ecology. She teaches in plant biology and ecology, to future secondary teachers of life and Earth sciences, at the INSPE. She conducts research on environmental education and sustainable development at the GEODE (Environmental Geography) laboratory. In this context, she is interested in future thinking in education for sustainable development (ESD) and in life sciences didactics.