ERIC Number: EJ748847
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Oct
Pages: 10
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-0145
EISSN: N/A
Education in the Field Influences Children's Ideas and Interest toward Science
Zoldosova, Kristina; Prokop, Pavol
Journal of Science Education and Technology, v15 n3-4 p304-313 Oct 2006
This paper explores the idea of informal science education in scientific field laboratory (The Science Field Centre). The experimental group of pupils (N = 153) was experienced with approximately 5-day lasting field trips and experiments in the Field Centre in Slovakia. After finishing the course, two different research methods were used to discover their interest and ideas toward science. Pupils from the experimental group showed significant differences from those that did not experience education in the Field Centre (control group, N = 365). In comparison to the control group, pupils of the experimental group highly preferred book titles that were related to their program in the Field Centre. There were differences between the drawings of ideal school environment from both pupils groups. In the drawings of the experimental group, we found significantly more items connected with the educational environment of the Field Centre (e.g. laboratory equipment, live animals). We suppose field science education would be one of the most effective ways to increase interest of pupils to study science and to invaluable intrinsic motivation at the expense extrinsic motivation.
Descriptors: Science Education, Experimental Groups, Field Trips, Foreign Countries, Research Methodology, Student Interests, Control Groups, Educational Environment, Student Motivation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Slovakia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A