Attitudes of pre-service teachers in planning and scheduling geo-field trips at secondary level: a case study

INTRODUCTION The Field Trips are considered widely powerful methods of learning in all Natural Science and Geography but is in the domain of EarthScience learning where they play a core role. Since field trips are a way to integrated classroom to real world, benefits from field activities are various moving from a deepest comprehension of knowledge to the acquisition of specific skills and abilities. Despite this, recent papers evidence a general decline of field activities in Earth-Science courses for primary and secondary schools. Lack of time, increasing costs, logistics and strong safety protocols are some factors which strong demotivate the teachers to plan field activities. But this could depend also because few pre-service teachers experience field trips in their previous science classes and so remain unaware of the potentiality the outdoor environment can provide. In view of the above, in this research we wanted to measure in a sample of Italian pre-service science teachers (TFA- classe A060) their attitude toward planning and scheduling geo-field trip and the potentiality of Italian territory for this purpose. In particular we tested three hypothesis: 1) Is there any correlation between preservice teachers academic background and their exam score's? 2) Is there any correlation between pre-service teacher’s experience as student and their attitude in planning field trips? 3) Can we measure the educational potential the Italian territory can provide? METHODS Seventies pre-service science teachers were asked to produce a field trip lesson plan for high school class after a Earth Science Teaching Training Course (TFA) by using a fixed format (Fig.1). Location, duration, type of school and all didactic strategies were freely definable. These plans were the final course test. For the evaluation three primary indicators were considered: 1. General feasibility (logistics, safety, costs, time scheduling, location potentiality) 2. Didactic coherence (between educational goals of trips and annual scheduling) 3. Didactic feasibility (coherence between educational goals of trips and planned didactic strategies) The seventies formats constitute the analyzed dataset. RESULTS Evaluation of trainees (Fig.2) Trainees were devised in four categories in relation to their degree. The results shows an average score of 25/30 for Chemistry graduates who represent the 10% of the trainees sample; the same score 25,05/30 was reached by Biotechnology graduated (25,71%); A little better score 25,33/30 gains Biology graduated (38,57%) while 26,27/30 is the better average score reached by the category which aggregate Environmental Science and Geology graduated (25,71%). This category also shows the maximum number (5) of top scores (30/30. 30/30 cum laude). The choice of field didactic strategies (Fig.3) With reference to the didactic strategies planned by trainees, the results show that in very few case the students would gain the outdoor activities in a discovery/motivational way (2/70). In average a guided inquiry with focus generated from field experience covers a 30% of plans, while in the majorities of case, over 60%, plans were dominated by an instructional/ descriptive teacher’s leading style. The educational potential of Italian territory (Fig.4/5) The sites selection shows a dominance of Lombardy’s locations since the Earth Science training course was ran in the University of Milan. This would explain why Mountain and Alpine environments are prevalent but ten Italian regions were covered with seven different geomorphological environments (Fig. 4). Due to the environment variety, the trainess succeded in treating twelve different Earth-science topics relevant for the curricula. Ecology, History, Art and Architecture are also explored with significance as cross-curricula opportunities. Evaluation of trainess The first ipothesy which individuate a correlation between trainees degrees and scores seems not to be confirmed due to the very low variability between the results. So firstly we can say that the specific skills and abilities achieved during tertiary education, aren't designed in the prospective of teaching in high school. Secondarily the results suggest that teaching is not the first best choice of a Science graduated who probably presume to spend his competence in different working domains. This suggest that a more designed curricula for science teachers at academic level is needed. Lastly we can say that graduated in Environmental Science who shows an higher frequency of top scores (30/30 and 30/30 cum laude) seems to be more ductile to achieve the didactic skills requested by the teacher’s profile. The choice of field didactic strategies If we compare trainees results, especially if we consider their proposals in terms of didactic feasibility (fig.3), it appears clear that the experiential learning approach is not part of ”candidate's DNA”. In the majority of case (60%) the planned outdoor activities are leaded by teachers in a instructional/descriptive style; only in one third of plans presents an inquiry approach while in very few case was adopted a discovery/motivational one. Once again this reflects the Italian didactic practice which is traditionally teacher-centered. Even after the training course, which focus on student-centered activities, candidates use to replicate their previous experience as students. Italy’s landscape variety The locations of plans show as how rich and versatile is the Italian territory for field trip realizations (fig.4). The educational potential is proportional to the extremely high variety of the existing environments. As shown by results the quasi-totality of topics relevant for High school science-curricula are touched either as primary subject either as secondary ones in the presented plans (Fig.5). Nevertheless the learning goals of such a versatile territory are not limited to Earth-Science ones since they could be extended to those of Geography, Economy and Ctizenship education.