Outdoor Learning in Environmental Education: Evaluation of Science Curriculums

Abstract

This study was conducted in order to examine the objectives related to environmental education in the curricula taught from primary school to the last grade of high school in terms of out-of-school activities (outdoor learning). Within the scope of the research, the objectives related to the environment were categorized in terms of "Investigation-Presentation (IP)", "Observation-Presentation (OP)", "Project (P)" and "Active participation (AP)". The document analysis approach, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. Within the scope of the determined themes, objectives for each class and grade level were arranged as percentage and frequency. As a result of the findings obtained, it was determined that at the primary and secondary school levels, objectives encouraging students to out-of-school activities were included, but at the high school level, objectives related to the determined themes were included very little. A total of 302 objectives were included in the 3-8 grade levels, but the number of objectives related to the environment was determined as 56 (IP: 3, OP: 2, P: 5, AP: 5). At the high school level, the highest number of objectives related to environmental education was included in biology curricula. However, in terms of out-of-school activities, only physics curricula were included. As a result, it was determined that the number of learning objectives for out-of-school activities in the curricula was not sufficient. Therefore, it would be useful to include objectives that encourage out-of-school activities in the developed curricula in order to achieve the aims of environmental education.