| dc.description.abstract | Fieldwork is an essential practice when it comes to studying Geography. Doing fieldwork concerns inspecting the location under research. It is usually a supervised activity and it also involves first hand experience of the researched. Fieldwork is also used in school as a teaching method. How it is conducted depends upon the school’s framework and the learning goal. This study has focused on what pupils in secondary school think about fieldwork as a teaching method, and it also focuses on what kind of learning effect comes out of fieldwork. However, this is not about fieldwork in general, but applying fieldwork into the school’s local environment. Also, this study brings the fieldwork’s durability into question. There are advantages and disadvantages related to both long-lasting and shorter fieldwork. Still, there are some similarities of their learning outcomes.
This study includes a critical review of a fieldwork conducted in the local environment with pupils from secondary school. It lasted for 45 minutes and the location was within walking distance. The pupils were learning about globalization, and the urban surroundings offered many relevant elements of discussion. The very same pupils conducted a short survey about the fieldwork. Four weeks after, four pupils of the same group were interviewed about the same topic.
The results indicated that the pupils were positive about fieldwork in the local environment. Also, they implied that it was easier to understand the content of the subject when it was observed within its natural context. The results also showed that the fieldwork was not easily forgotten. Cognitive theory suggests that experiences are easier to remember rather than theoretical knowledge. This study proposes that fieldwork can help pupils recall subject content through experience. The subject content may become more concrete when pupils bring with them theoretical knowledge into the field and link it to their observations. Further, as the subject content appears more concrete, it also entrenches into the pupil’s perception. Even though short-lasting fieldwork does not share the social and personal experience with long-lasting fieldwork, it does share the same learning effect. Fieldwork as an experience systemizes theoretical knowledge. | nb_NO |
