This project involved the development and evaluation of a self-instructional environmental study learning guide for use at the Ball State University Wildlife Preserve in Muncie, Indiana. The guide was primarily intended for use by Ball State University students enrolled in several of the courses offered in the biology and natural resources departments.The chief goals of this project were to develop an effective self-instructional learning guide which would assist the student in a study of the environment in a natural setting, and to help familiarize the evaluation of the materials before and after their use by students.Two hypotheses were formulated: (1) Students will learn environmental concepts more effectively by participating in an outdoor experience than by not participating in such an experience; (2) Students will perceive the outdoor experience as one which has value to them.To achieve the goals, a number of environmental concepts were identified and categorized on the basis of their applicability to the natural area under study. Behavioral objectives were written to match these concepts.The text of the learning guide was based on these concepts and objectives and was constructed using the principles of programmed learning. Using this text, the student was guided along the trails at the Wildlife Preserve and performed appropriate activities.The use of this environmental study area was a technique to achieve more effective learning. To test the soundness of this approach, pre and post tests were written, administered, and analyzed using the t-test to determine if in fact there was a gain in cognitive learning after the field experience. To determine whether the students had perceived this experience as having value to them, a post field trip questionnaire of the scaled response type was also prepared and administered.Four sections of students enrolled in an introductory natural resources course and one section of students enrolled in an elementary education methods class served as the experimental subjects. Two additional sections of natural resources students served as the control subjects. An additional four sections from both courses served as participants by taking the field trip with the learning guide and filling out the questionnaire, but were not tested for cognitive gain.Hypothesis one was accepted at the .05 level in three of the experimental groups when t-tested as individual units, was rejected in two of the five experimental groups when t-tested as individual units, was accepted for all five experimental groups when t-tested as a whole, and was rejected in both control groups both singly and combined.Hypothesis two was evaluated by means of a questionnaire and by handwritten comments, the results of which were generally positive in tone. There was overwhelming agreement that the trip was worthwhile (88.0%), that some new facts and concepts had been learned there (88.9%) and 81.7% of the elementary education majors indicated they would like to take students for a field Grip. These figures fall into the same range as those of several similar studies cited in the literature review.The results of this study indicate that an effective self-instructional learning guide to an outdoor education area can be developed and utilized by university students. The use of such a guide can result in a measurable cognitive gain in the understanding of environmental concepts and is generally perceived as a worthwhile activity by those students who have used it.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/175541 |
| Date | January 1974 |
| Creators | Ciesla, Kathryn G. |
| Contributors | Hibbs, Clyde W. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | v, 128 leaves : ill., maps ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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