Effects of Field Trips Technique of Teaching on the Academic Performance of Secondary Schools Students

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title Page……………………………………………………… i

Declaration …………………………………………………     ii

Approval Page:……………………………………………….  iii

Dedication:…………………………………………………..    iv

Acknowledgment:…………………………………………..     v

Table of content:…………………………………………….    vi

Abstract ……………………………………………………..   viii

CHAPTER ONE

1.1            Background of the study.……………………………….         1

1.2            Statement of problem:…………………………………..         3

1.3            Purpose of study ………………………………………. 4

1.4            Research questions:……………………………………..          4

1.5            Research Hypothesis ……………………………………         5

1.6            Significance of study:……………………………………5

1.7            Scope and Limitation of study:……………………….. 5

1.8            Definition of terms:……………………………………  6

CHAPTER TWO

2.1     Theoretical Framework …………………………………         7

2.2     Concept of Educational Field Trip …………………… 10

2.3     Stages in Conducting Educational Field Trip ………..  11

2.3.1  Pre-Field Trip Activities ……………………………...  11

2.3.2  Trip Stage the second stage of a successful field trip is the trip itself ……………………………………….    13

2.3.3  Post-Field Trip Activities ……………………………    14

2.4     Logistics of Planning Educational Field Trip………..   17

2.5     Problems and prospects of Field Trip …………….                19

CHAPTER THREE

3.0     Research Methodology …………………………..                   21

3.1            Research Design:………………………………….                   21

3.2            Area of study:…………………………………….                   21

3.3            Population of study:………………………………                  21

3.4            Sampling techniques:……………………………           21

3.5            Instrument for data collection:……………………                  21

3.6            Validity and Reliability of the instrument:………                   22

3.7            Method of data collection:………………………           22

3.8            Method of data analysis:…………………………                   22

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0     Data Presentation and Analysis……………………                23

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1     Summary:…………………………………………                   32

5.2     Conclusion:………………………………………           32

5.3     Recommendation:………………………………            33

References :…………………………………….             35

ABSTRACT

The study examined the Effects of educational field trip on academic performance of SSS social studies students in Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger state-Nigeria. The study used quasi-experimental research design and 100 SSS students of the above Local Government were selected via purposive sampling technique. The study used Social Studies Achievement Test (SOSAT) as data collection instrument. The study answered three (3) research questions and tested two (2) hypotheses. The data analysis tools were percentage and frequency distribution table used in analysing and presenting the bio-data variables of the participants. The study revealed that Significant differences existed between the mean academic performance of students taught using Educational Field trip (experimental) and those who were taught with lecture method (control) group. In the light of the above findings, the study recommended that Social studies teachers in the study area should be encouraged to adopt the technique of educational field trip for their students for optimum academic performance; the need for Government of Niger state through ministry of education to provide all the needed funds for conducting regular educational field trip by students and teachers of social studies; the need for Wealthy Corporations and individuals to sponsor Educational Field trips in secondary schools in Mashegu Local Government organised by social studies teachers and the need for adequate time to be allotted to social studies lessons in the study area aimed at encouraging teachers to organize field trip for students.

CHAPTER ONE

The focus of this project is to understand students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards field trips and the importance of field trips for student learning. Field trip technique is considered essential in teaching and learning process. Field trips offer the sort of enriching experience that is considered central to success of teaching objectives. The definition of a field trip used in this research is taken from Krepel and Duvall (1981), "a trip arranged and undertaken for educational purposes, in which the students go to places where the materials of instruction may be observed and studied directly in their functional setting...” Traditional field trips usually involve a teacher directing or constructing an event to produce similar student observations and experiences. Field trips engage and even entertain students, helping to make educational experience more relevant, memorable and meaningful (Scarce, 1997). The Swiss psychologist Piaget said that 'to know an object is to act on it'. Before Jean Piaget, John Dewey an American philosopher stated, Mere activity doesn't constitute experience. To 'learn from experience' is to make a background and forward connection between what we do to things and what we enjoy or suffer from things in consequence. Under such conditions, doing becomes a trying; an experiment with the world (environment) to find out what it is like; the undergoing becomes instruction - discovery of the connection of things (Scarce, 1997).

Learning traditionally takes place in one or more of three different environments, the classroom or lecture theatre, the laboratory/workshop and the field (outdoors). The field trip is considered a key component of the curriculum, and when combined with lectures, problem sets, readings and workshops, provides vital experience necessary for converting students into successful professionals. Field trips offer students the opportunity to learn what is involved in on-ground management, make comparisons with other management cases, and sharpen their own integrative ability, insight and judgment without actual real-life costs of being wrong. The main principles of field trips are common; (1) use of a natural environment for exploring phenomena and objects of the nature; (2) use of real scientific methods (i.e. inquiry method) which includes collecting data, observation, creating hypotheses, performing experiments etc, (3) improve active student engagement; (4) naturally integrate knowledge and reinforce inter-disciplinary relationships, and (5) support of social learning processes (discussion, co-operative learning) (Zoldosova & Prokop, 2006).

There is controversy whether each unit of teaching needs field trips and whether the learning outcomes of a field trip are worth the time and money. Are these superficial activities or bona fide learning experiences? Furthermore there are questions about the length of the field trip and how often field trips should be conducted. Mirka (1970) and McKenzie et al. (1986) refer to three sources for the reason a gap exists between the educational potential of field trips and its realisation. These are (1) logistic limitations, (2) lack of adequate teaching/learning materials, and (3) teachers' unfamiliarity with the outdoor as a learning environment. It is evident from the literature that lack of curriculum design, planning and implementation in field trips often results in poor outcomes in student learning. This paper presents the outcome of a preliminary survey, which allowed both students and teachers to express a range of opinions regarding the value of field trips in students learning to clarify its need, numbers, duration, and group size.

Infact, learning appears as burden on students’ memory instead of light in their minds. Thus, field trip is found most suitable to bridge this gap. Against this background, their research work is designed to explore the effects of field trip technique in teaching and learning. Its problems and prospect will also be reviewed in a bid to find way of improving its effectiveness.

1.2            STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Generally, there many problems that trouble Nigerian secondary schools which include inadequate trained and qualified teachers that are skillful in the choice and appropriate teaching method or methods. As a result, students find it impossible to make a comprehensive grasp of knowledge acquired in the classroom due to their inaccessibility to lack of practical.

Also, it is an established fact that, teachers teach “ nature from nature, move from simple to complex, known to unknown and concrete to abstract above all children learn by doing. After all, creative teachers who wish to enliven and enrich their instruction by making it easy and rewarding need to employ field trip technique because learners acquire knowledge when they discover and do things by themselves.  Effective field trip can aid us in no small measure in the task of making teaching objectives realization at ease. Field trips are a voyage to a location for educational purposes. Students may take field trips to museums, agricultural centers, local government sites and workplaces. Due to the cost of field trips, school systems commonly cut field trips first when reducing their budget. However field trips significantly add to the learning and teaching experience. This could be possible by observe some technicalities. Thus, this research work is designed to explore the effects of field trip technique in teaching and learning and leaning process.

1.3            PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

·              To explore the technicalities involved in the use of field trip technique in teaching and learning process.

·              To identify the effects of field trip as a technique in teaching.

·              To accounts for problems that affect the use of field trip technique in teaching.

1.4            RESEARCH QUESTION

1.     What are the technicalities involved in the use of field trip technique in teaching and learning in Secondary school

2.     What are the effects of field trip as technique in teaching

3.     What are the factors that accounts for the challenge of using field trip technique in teaching at Secondary school level.

1.5     RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

          In order to identify the variables and to accomplish the purpose of this study, the following hypotheses were tested.

H0₁: There is no significant difference in the scores, on the test of students in schools where field trip is organised and the scores of students in schools where field trip is not organised

H0₂: There is no significant difference in the scores, on the test of students taught via field trip and the scores of students taught without field trip.

1.6     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The research is vital to the advancement of knowledge since it will create awareness value of field trip technique of teaching. It will show case on the importance of field trip technique to stake holders in secondary education. It will expose the challenges faced by teachers due to lack of adequate resources such as planning, financing, bureaucratic, risky factor etc. Similarly, the study will be a useful reference material for consultation by both the researchers and students.

1.7     SCOPE AND LIMITATION

The study focuses the effects of instructional resources in teaching at Secondary schools. It involves selected secondary schools in Mashegu Local Government Area and covers only the sampled respondents to be studied. 

The study shall focus on the principal officers, teachers and students of secondary school in Mashegu Local Government Area.