The use of field trip on eighth grade Bhutanese students learning experience : a qualitative study

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of a field trip on the learning experience of eighth grade Bhutanese students and find out their opinions on learning geography through a field trip. Qualitative study in the form of phenomenology was adopted. A purposive selection of one section of 26 eighth grade students consisting of 11 boys and 15 girls out of four sections were employed in this study. The study was carried out for four consecutive weeks in one of the lower secondary schools in the western Bhutan. The students attended two field trips, the first trip involved a bus ride to the temperate forest and the village. The second trip was a walking trip to the wood industries. Both the trips were focused on the uses of forest resources in Bhutan. The data collected through teacher’s reflective journals on students’ learning behavior observation, students’ reflective journals and focus group discussion were analyzed using content analysis. Later, the findings were triangulated to answer the two research questions. The findings showed that the field trip was effective in enhancing content knowledge, environmental awareness and promoting skills such as selfconfidence, social, collaboration and communication. However, the study also confirmed the challenges of implementing field trip such as students’ safety, time constraint and limited resources. The study suggests the Ministry of Education, the District Education Office and the school principals to support the schools in implementing field trips by providing guidelines, funds and transportation assistance.