Preservice Teachers’ Reflections on Outdoor Science Activities Following an Outdoor Chemistry Unit

ABSTRACT

Research has called for greater emphasis on outdoor science activities in preservice teacher education. Therefore, in this study, preservice teachers reflect on an outdoor chemistry unit that aimed to model outdoor science activities to be conducted in local settings within short time frames. Data from the preservice teachers’ reflections were collected through videotaping discussions conducted in 10 small groups following their participation in the outdoor chemistry unit. The data analysis identified nine themes in the preservice teachers’discussions, which were categorized according to the concepts of essential aspects of out-door science activities and alternative methods of action for outdoor science activities in future teaching practice. The following essential aspects of outdoor science activities were identified: cognitive challenge, prior knowledge, purpose, structures that support learning, and contextual factors. The methods of action were mostly strategies aimed at supporting and managing the students’ learning outdoors. Discrepancies between the preservice teachers’ discussions of the outdoor chemistry unit, the essential features modeled through the unit, and the literature are discussed, demonstrating the importance of having preservice teachers reflect on a specific outdoor science unit modeled during their teacher education. An implication of this study is the need to support preservice teachers in comparing their previous experiences of outdoor science activities with those modeled most recently.

KEYWORDS:

• Outdoor science activities
• teacher education
• chemistry
• reflection

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.