The Field Trip Milieu: Learning and Behavior as a Function of Contextual Events

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Abstract
A Study to assess the impact of school field trips on attitudes, behavior, and learning was conducted with 1% third and fifth grade children. Half the children went on an all-day field trip to a nature center to learn about the biology of trees; the other half were taught the same lesson outside their classroom during their regular science period. As measured by pre- and posttests, field experiences resulted in significant immediate learning and 30-day retention for all groups. Observational measures revealed that student behavior varied as a function of age and environmental context. A model is proposed that relates learning and behavior to both developmental level and environmental novelty.