Asking meaningful questions in digital outdoor learning tool - a way to support conceptual change

Abstract

When teaching about complex phenomena (e.g. concepts related to the natural environment), good quality questioning could lead to a more profound conceptual change. However, asking questions that help students to construct new knowledge is a challenge for many educators. To help promote better questioning, we analyzed the kind of questions (N = 3168) educators used in “trails” in a digital outdoor learning tool “Discovery Trail” designed for supporting the environmental education field. For analysis we used a model distinguishing cognitively lower-order from higher-order open-ended questions and then categorized the higher order questions by their degree of complexity. Results show that trails created for educational purposes have more cognitively complex questions compared to non-educational trails. Still, only 20% of all the questions used in trails with educational purposes were cognitively complex. Moreover, 60% of all educational trails did not have any cognitively complex open-ended questions, indicating that educators tend not to use the tool for supporting conceptual change. Simple recall questions were mainly used through educational trails. Digital outdoor learning tool creators and users could benefit by considering how to more effectively construct questions that promote conceptual change as this is crucial to support the understanding about complex environmental topics.

Keywords:

• conceptual change
• environmental education
• questioning skills
• digital outdoor learning tools

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

Writing of this article was supported by the Research Fund of Tallinn University (Application No TF1119).

Notes on contributors

Elina Malleus

Elina Malleus, PhD is an associate professor of educational psychology in the School of Educational Sciences, Tallinn University in Estonia. She teaches topics related to social-emotional competence to teacher education students. Her research interests are environmental education, conceptual change, social-emotional competence development in classrooms. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7345-5231

Grete Arro

Grete Arro PhD is a researcher and lecturer in the School of Educational Sciences in Tallinn University. Her research interests are conceptual change and misconceptions, motivation, self-regulation, ability beliefs, teacher education; environmental consciousness, environmental education, sustainable behaviour, restorative environments. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8825-8588

Triinu Jesmin

Triinu Jesmin, MA is a junior researcher of serious games and lecturer of data analysis in the School of Digital Technologies, Tallinn University in Estonia. Her research interests are game-based learning, serious games, open knowledge, educational technology, design thinking. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7328-4177

Esta Kaal

Esta Kaal, MA is a lecturer in research methods in the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, Tallinn University in Estonia. Her research interests are environmental, health and risk communication. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8872-2451

Mihkel Kangur

Mihkel Kangur, PhD is a senior researcher of ecology and associate professor on sustainable development in the School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University in Estonia. His research interests are (palaeo)ecology, vegetation history, sustainable development, education for sustainable development, sustainability in higher education system, pedagogical ecology, non-formal education, environmental education, environmental communication, environmental awareness, conceptual change, general competencies, responsible research and innovation.

Arko Olesk

Arko Olesk, MSc is a lecturer and PhD student in science communication in the Baltic Film, Media and Arts School, Tallinn University in Estonia. His research interests are science communication, environmental communication and mediatization. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6239-5744

Liisa Puusepp

Liisa Puusepp, PhD is a researcher of ecology in the School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University in Estonia. Her research interests are (palaeo)ecology, ecosystem services, melissopalynology, environmental education, environmental awareness, education for sustainable development, global education, non-formal education. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7662-7932

Jaanus Terasmaa

Jaanus Terasmaa, PhD is a professor of ecohydrology in the School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University in Estonia. His research interests are ecology, ecohydrology, ecosystem services, environmental education, environmental communication, digital technologies, and learning games. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1346-6411

Terje Väljataga

Terje Väljataga, PhD is a senior research fellow in new learning environments and technologies in the School of Digital Technologies, Tallinn University in Estonia. Her research interests are mobile and interdisciplinary STEAM learning design, outdoor learning orchestration, transformative learning, educational innovation, technology-enhanced learning. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8109-0674