Abstract
Experiential learning exercises, like field trips, are a common pedagogical practice in geoscience curriculums that seek to apply knowledge gained in the classroom in a real field setting. However, many field settings may be exclusionary to students. If the field experience is exclusionary, this will directly impact student learning negatively. The cognitive domain impacts of field trips on geoscience students have been studied extensively, but studies on student affective responses are comparatively sparse. To better understand the impacts of field trips on geoscience students we sought to gain insight into the affective domain implications of multiple field trip settings within a geoscience curriculum using qualitative methods. We used an arts-based approach, coupling semi-structured interviews with participant-provided photographs of their field experiences. Results indicate students need to be involved in a community of practice for the experience to elicit positive affective domain impacts. Negative impacts arise from multiple sources, such as uncertainty in field trip logistics, lack of accommodation regarding required physical activities, and student lack of preparedness for time in the field. The results from this study suggest that affective domain concerns are regularly dominant in a field trip setting; therefore, instructors need to account for possible affective domain impacts to students when creating field trip experiences. Broader implications for taking student affective domain into consideration might allow for instructors to more successfully engage underrepresented populations in the geosciences. Instructors can become more aware of student needs in the field (e.g., ensuring accessibility to field sites for students with disabilities), which can foster a more inclusive learning community in the geosciences.
Keywords
- affective domain,
- geosciences,
- field experiences,
- arts-based research
Disciplines
Publication Date
January 27, 2022
Citation Information
Meghan Cook, Jeffrey G. Ryan and Sarah Lynne Sheffield. "Experiential Learning in the Geosciences: Impacts on Student Affective Domain." Undergraduate Field Experience Research Network (UFERN) (2022) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/meghan-cook/31/