Why this matters
Many teachers learn ecology from lectures and textbooks, then struggle to teach it in a way that feels real. Field trips can help, but they cost time and money. Is a short, well-planned trip worth it?
What the researchers did
The researchers took 45 final-year student teachers, aged 21 to 43, from a South African university on a required three-day residential trip. They went to Mokala National Park, a dry savanna.
- Before and after: the university planned the trip with the park. It included a briefing beforehand and an assignment afterward: designing a classroom worksheet based on the trip.
- In the park: students went on guided game drives and checked the health of the Riet River by sampling small water creatures. They counted plants using quadrats (square frames laid on the ground) and spent an evening stargazing.
- The evidence: the researchers analyzed the students' assignments, journals, surveys and group discussions.
What they found
- Textbook ideas became real. Many student teachers said terms such as "living and nonliving factors" only made sense once they saw them in the park. Seeing a black rhino helped them understand its role in the ecosystem. Others linked the shape and habits of the camel thorn tree, known locally as the Mokala tree, to the area's low rainfall.
- Collecting their own data made science click. Sampling river creatures showed students how pollution-sensitive insects, such as mayfly young, signal clean water. They also worked out a biodiversity score from their own plant counts. That made "biodiversity" meaningful. As one put it, it became a number that told a story.
- Student teachers saw how to teach it. Many linked the activities straight to future lessons. Several said quadrat sampling was something they could realistically do with school students. Others called the river activity a lesson in how to teach.
- Stargazing connected the sky, the land and culture. Students found stars and planets on a phone app first, then looked through a telescope and with the naked eye. Many said seeing Saturn's rings for themselves turned facts into personal experience. Comparing Greek and Khoisan stories about the Milky Way showed them how beliefs shape people's view of nature.
- Local knowledge mattered. The Mokala tree is used locally as medicine and to keep snakes away. Learning this helped student teachers connect biology to people's lives. They said local knowledge is important for real conservation work.
- Feelings changed too. Student teachers reported a stronger emotional connection to the park. They also felt more confident about dealing with environmental issues.
What this means for your practice
- Let learners produce their own data. The moments that clicked came from counting plants and river creatures and working out what the numbers meant. Simple tools like quadrats, nets and tally sheets let students create evidence themselves.
- Choose activities students can take with them. Student teachers valued methods they could picture using with a class. If you train teachers or youth leaders, pick field methods that are cheap and easy to repeat at a school.
- Wrap the trip in preparation and reflection. This trip had a briefing, field journals, group debriefs and a teaching assignment afterward. The worksheet assignment is where the researchers saw students turning experiences into lessons.
- Move from the screen to the real thing. Stargazing went from app to telescope to naked eye, and students said seeing for themselves made it stick. The same step from picture to real object can work with plants, birds or insects.
- Bring in local stories and uses. Student teachers valued learning what a local tree is used for and how local people read the night sky. Find out what local knowledge exists about the places where you teach.
- Think long term. The researchers suggest lasting university–park partnerships and treating field trips as a core part of teacher training. To keep the learning going after graduation, they suggest three things:
- mentoring for new teachers
- a shared online bank of park-based lessons
- refresher field courses
RETURN TO RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION EERESEARCH COLLECTION
The Bottom Line
The researchers studied assignments, journals, surveys and group discussions from 45 final-year student teachers after a residential trip to a national park. The student teachers said hands-on fieldwork turned textbook terms into something real, especially when they worked with data they had collected themselves. They began to see how plants, animals, water, weather and even the night sky connect. Many immediately pictured using the same activities with their future students. They also valued learning local traditional knowledge about plants and stars. For educators, the study shows that a well-structured field trip, with preparation beforehand and reflection afterward, can build both understanding and the confidence to teach outdoors.