Psychosocial Achievements of Social Studies Teacher Candidates in Out door Geography CoursesCourses

Year 2019, Volume: 9 Issue: 3, 663 - 677, 31.12.2019

Sevinç Çırak Karadağ

https://doi.org/10.33403/rigeo.580824

Abstract

The academic outcomes of courses are evaluated by teacher grades or achievement tests; however, their psychological and interpersonal benefits are usually unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the views of social studies teacher candidates on the psychological and interpersonal outcomes of the outdoor education courses they took, namely Geography Teaching and Museum Education. A descriptive qualitative research methodology was employed with a homogeneous sampling technique. The participants, who were voluntarily recruited, included 24 social studies teacher candidates who took the Geography Teaching and Museum Education classes as part of the Social Studies Teacher Education Program. Data were collected through focus group interviews. Recorded interviews were transcribed and then analyzed thematically. The results showed that participation in outdoor courses improved students’ relationships with their peers and lecturers, increased their motivation for class attendance, and helped them manage their stress.

Keywords

Outdoor Geography Education, Psychological and social Outcomes, Social Studies Teacher Candidates

References

• Adanali, R., & Alim, M. (2017). The views of preservice teachers for problem based learning model supported by geocaching in environmental education. Review of International Geographical Education Online, 7(3), 264-292.
• Allport, G. W. (1954).The nature of prejudice. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley. Erişim adresi: https://archive.org/details/TheNatureOfPrejudice/page/n495
• Andre, E. K., Williams, N., Schwartz, F., & Bullard, C. (2018). Benefits of campus outdoor recreation programs: A review of the literature. JOREL, 9(1), 15-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.18666/JOREL-2017-V9-I1-7491
• Ardahan F, Lapa T.Y. (2011). Outdoor recreation: The reasons and carried benefits for attending outdoor sports of the participants of cycling and/or trekking activities. International Journal of Human Sciences, 8(1), 1327-1341.
• Aspinall, P., Mavros, P., Coyne, R., & Roe, J. (2013). The urban brain: Analysing outdoor physical activity with mobile EEG. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 49, 272–276.
• Barrable, A., & Arvanitis, A. (2019). Flourishing in the forest: looking at Forest School through a self-determination theory lens. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 22(1), 39-55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-018-0018-5
• Baumeister, R. F., DeWall, C. N., Ciarocco, N. J., & Twenge, J. M. (2005). Social exclusion impairs self-regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88(4), 589–604.
• Baumeister, R.F., & Leary, M.R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 497-529.
• Becker, C., Lauterbach, G., Spengler, S., Dettweiler, U., & Mess, F. (2017). Effects of regular classes in outdoor education settings: A systematic review on students’ learning, social and health dimensions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(5), 485. doi:10.3390/ijerph14050485
• Bergin, C., Talley, S., & Hamer, L. (2003). Prosocial behaviours of young adolescents: a focus group study. Journal of Adolescence, 26(1), 13-32.
• Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
• Breuning, M.C., O’Connell, T.S.,Todd, S.,Andersen, L., &Young, A. (2010). The impact of outdor persuits on college students’perceived sense of community. Journal of Leisure Research , 42, 551-572.
• Clark, B. S., & Anderson, D.M. ( 2011). ‘I would be dad I had not taken this class:’ the role of leisure education in college students’ development. Recreational Sports Journals, 35(1), 45-55. https://doi.org/10.1123/rsj.35.1.45
• Cohen, S. (2004). Social relationships and health. American Psychologist, 59(8), 676-684. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.59.8.676
• Cooley, S. J., Burns, V. E., & Cumming, J. (2015). The role of outdoor adventure education in facilitating groupwork in higher education. Higher Education, 69(4), 567-582.
• Cooley, S. J., Holland, M. J. G., Cumming, J., Novakovic, E. G., & Burns, V. E. (2013). Introducing the use of a semi-structured video diary room to investigate students’ learning experiences during an outdoor adventure education groupwork skills course. Higher Education, 67, 105–121. doi:10.1007/s10734-013-9645-5
• Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4cü. baskı). Washington, DC: SAGE Publications, Inc.
• Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta‐analysis of school‐based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432.
• English Outdoor Counsil. (2015). High quality outdoor learning. Erişim adresi: https://www.englishoutdoorcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2049-High-quality-outdoor-learning-web-version.pdf
• Fiske A.P. (1992). The four elementary forms of sociality: Framework for a unified theory of social relations. Psychological Review, 99, 689–723.
• Fontana, A., & Frey, J. (2005). The interview: From neutral stance to political involvement. N.K. Denzin, & Y.S. Lincoln (Edl.) içinde , The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (3cü. Baskı, ss. 695–727). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Greenberg, M. T., Weissberg, R. P., O’Brien, M. U., Zins, J. E., Fredericks, L., Resnik, H., et al. (2003). Enhancing school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning. American Psychologist, 58, 466–474.
• Hamid S.F.A., Mohamed M. (2016). Experiential learning in the wilderness: Outdoor education program toward enhancing college students’ leadership practices. In: Fook C., Sidhu G., Narasuman S., Fong L., Abdul Rahman S. (eds) 7th International Conference on University Learning and Teaching (InCULT 2014) Proceedings. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-664-5_41
• Hattie, J., Marsh, H. W., Neill, J. T., & Richards, G. E. (1997). Adventure education and outward bound:Out-of-class experiences that make a lasting difference. Review of Educational Research, 67, 43–87.
• Holmes, J. (2006). Sharing a laugh: Pragmatic aspects of humor and gender in the workplace. Journal of Pragmatics, 38(1), 26-50.
• Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLoS medicine, 7(7), e1000316.
• Howit, D. (2010). Introduction to qualitative methods in psychology. Essexs, UK: Pearson Education.
• Ives, C. D., Abson, D. J., von Wehrden, H., Dorninger, C., Klaniecki, K., & Fischer, J. (2018). Reconnecting with nature for sustainability. Sustainability science, 13(5), 1389-1397.
• Kane, B.A. & Kane, J. (2011). Waldkindergarten in Germany. Green Teach, 94,16–19.
• Kanters, M. A., Bristol, D. G., & Attarian, A. (2002). The effects of outdoor experiential training on perceptions of college stress. Journal of Experiential Education, 25, 257–367. https://doi. org/10.1177/105382590202500203
• Li, M., Frieze, I. H., Nokes-Malach, T. J., & Cheong, J. (2013). Do friends always help your studies? Mediating processes between social relations and academic motivation. Social Psychology of Education, 16(1), 129-149.
• Maguire, M., & Delahunt, B. (2017). Doing a thematic analysis: A practical, step-by-step guide for learning and teaching scholars. AISHE-J: The All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 9(3).
• Martin, R. A. (2007). The psychology of humor: An integrative approach. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Academic Press. Erişim adresi: https://ia800703.us.archive.org/4/items/psychologyofhumo00martrich/psychologyofhumo00martrich.pdf
• Maskall, J., & Stokes, A. (2008). Designing effective fieldwork for the environmental and natural sciences. . Plymouth, UK: Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. Erişim adresi: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/gees_guides_ jmas_designing_effective_fieldwork.pdf
• Morris, T., McGuire, M., & Walker, B. (2017). Integrating social studies and social skills for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities: A mixed methods study. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 41(4), 253-262.
• NC State University, University Recreation. (b.t). Diversity and inclusion adVenture experience (DIVE). Erişim adresi: https://recreation.dasa.ncsu.edu/outdoor-advantures/diversity-and-inclusion-adventure-experience-dive/
• Neill, J.T. (2008). Enhancing life effectiveness: Impacts of outdoor education programs (Doktora Tezi). University of Western Sydney, Avustralya. Erişim adresi: https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/islandora/object/uws%3A6441/datastream/PDF/view
• Neill, J. T. (2008). Meta-Analytic research on the outcomes of outdoor education. http://www.wilderdom.com/research/researchoutcomesmeta-analytic.htm
• Öztürk, T., & Zaimoğlu Öztürk, F. . (2016). Sosyal Bilgiler Öğretim Programının Çevre Eğitimi Açısından Analizi. Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, 24(3), 1533-1550.
• Padilla-Meléndez, A., Fernández-Gámez, M. A., Molina-Gómez, J. (2014). Feeling the risks: effects of the development of emotional competences with outdoor training on the entrepreneurial intent of university study. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 10, 861–884.
• Pritchard, A., Richardson, M., Sheffield, D., & McEwan, K. (2019). The Relationship Between Nature Connectedness and Eudaimonic Well-Being: A Meta-analysis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 1-23.
• Restall, B., & Conrad, E. (2015). A literature review of connectedness to nature and its potential for environmental management. Journal of Environmental Management, 159, 264-278.
• Rosa, C. D., Profice, C., & Collado, S. (2018). Nature Experiences and Adults’ Self-Reported Pro-environmental Behaviors: The Role of Connectedness to Nature and Childhood Nature Experiences. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1055.
• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2011). A self-determination theory perspective on social, institutional, cultural, and economic supports for autonomy and their importance for well-being. In V. L. Chirkov, R. M. Ryan, & K. M. Sheldon (Eds.), Human Autonomy in Cross-cultural Context (pp. 45-64). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. Erişim adresi: https://www.springer.com/us/book/9789048196661
• Seaman, J., Beightol, J., Shirilla, P., & Crawford, B. (2010). Contact theory as a framework for experiential activities as diversity education: An exploratory study. Journal of Experiential Education, 32(3), 207-225.
• Sutherland, S. & Stroot, S. (2010). The impact of participation in an inclusive adventure education trip on group dynamics. Journal of Leisure Research, 42, 153-176. Erişim adresi:https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2010.11950199
• Szczytko, R. Carrier, S. J. & Stevenson, K.T. (2018). Impacts of outdoor environmental education on teacher reports of attention, behavior, and learning outcomes for students with emotional, cognitive, and behavioral disabilities. Frontiers in Education. 3, 1-10. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2018.00046
• Vlamis, E., Bell, B. J., & Gass, M. A. (2011). Effects of a college adventure orientation program on student development behaviors. Journal of Experiential Education, 34, 127–148. doi:10.5193/JEE34.2.127.
• Whitburn, J., Linklater, W. L., & Milfont, T. L. (2018). Exposure to urban nature and tree planting are related to pro-environmental behavior via connection to nature, the use of nature for psychological restoration, and environmental attitudes. Environment and Behavior, 0013916517751009.
• Yıldırım, A. ve Şimşek, H. (2016). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (11th ed.). Ankara: Seçkin Yayıncılık.
• Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Zelenski, J. M., & Nisbet, E. K. (2014). Happiness and feeling connected: The distinct role of nature relatedness. Environment and Behavior, 46(1), 3-23.
• Ozen, G. (2015). The effect of climbing community activities as a leisure on university students’ social anxiety. Anthropologist, 21, 558–564.