Museum Trip to Enrich Environmental Awareness and Education

Year 2021, Volume: 11 Issue: 1, 13 - 23, 12.01.2021

Christopher Punzalan Lovella Escalante

https://doi.org/10.18497/iejeegreen.759224

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Real-world knowledge via exposure activities could be positively enriched with the aid of situated learning. In a way to practice this theory and to revolutionize the educational system, this phenomenological-qualitative research was conducted to analyze how natural history museum supports the interest of STEM students towards the environmental issues. Specifically, this study ought to answer the research questions: how did natural history museum improve the interest of STEM students towards environmental issues?, what are the changes in students’ conceptions of learning environmental issues after the museum exposure?, how museums could make environmental issues seem more ‘real’ and urgent?, what opportunities the students received in meeting museum staff?, and how do students compare what they learn and how they learn environmental issues in formal and informal science settings? Data triangulation technique including observation, semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussion was administered to 20 STEM students enrolled in a private educational institution in the Philippines through purposive-sampling during the year 2019. The results of the study showed patterns according to the students’ individual sensory experiences from the museum visit. The reports of the students were analyzed and emerged in four themes: solving environmental problems by means of education, causes and effects of environmental issues, inquiry-based learning of natural history, and interesting and realistic learning scheme. It was indicated that the natural history museum do support the interest and learning of STEM students towards environmental issues at some aspects.

Keywords

natural history, museum education, STEM, environmental awareness, situated learning

Supporting Institution

Philippine Normal University

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