The Role of Nature Observations in the Discovery-Based Learning of Biology Concepts: The Case of Forest

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine how secondary school students develop knowledge of the concept of “forest” through guided discovery-based nature observation activities, and to evaluate the applicability of this method in teaching. Participants were 25 tenth-grade students who defined the forest one week before the nature observation (T1) and then engaged in two four-hour observation sessions (T2 and T3) in the forest of Hacettepe University’s Beytepe Campus. No prior information about forests was provided; instead, students were asked to record observations in nature that could inform their definitions. Data were analyzed through content analysis with MAXQDA, and codes were compared across the three stages. According to results, the number of codes, words, and characters in T3 increased significantly compared to T1 and T2 (p < 0.01). The findings revealed a clear development in perceptions of the forest from T1 to T3. Students’ statements mainly reflected general natural elements (tree, conservation) and emotional - perceptual expressions (quiet, dark) at T1. After the second stage (T2), attention shifted to direct observations, including concrete components (trunk, branch, root, leaf, mushroom, ant) and detailed descriptions. These observations were integrated with system-level ecological terms such as “ecosystem,” “biodiversity,” “water cycle,” “carbon,” and “environmental balance” at T3. Moreover, expressions related to human impact and environmental ethics - such as “human impact,” “logging,” “fire,” and “economic importance”- became prominent at T3. This developmental trajectory demonstrates that nature observation supported with guided discovery learning initially activates emotional and perceptual awareness, strengthens observational skills during the process, and ultimately contributes to the internalization of abstract forest and related concepts. Importantly, the study also highlights the potential applicability of this approach in formal school settings, particularly within biology curricula, to foster both conceptual understanding and environmental awareness.

Keywords

• Conceptual development
• biodiversity
• outdoor activities
• environmental education
• environmental sustainability

Ethical Statement

The study was conducted with ethical approval obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Institute of Educational Sciences at Hacettepe University. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Participation in the study was entirely voluntary. Participants were fully informed about the procedures of participation, the purpose of the research, and how their responses would be used and stored. They were also informed that they could withdraw from the study at any time. Throughout the study, all participant data and information were anonymized.

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