Supporting student learning processes during preparation, fieldwork and follow-up work: Examples from upper secondary school in Norway

Abstract

Fieldwork can enrich students’ science learning. In the context of a research project on geoscientific fieldwork for upper secondary students in Norway, this article discusses how student learning processes can be supported throughout sequences of classroom and fieldwork activities. Video observation of activities, instructional artifacts and teacher interviews were collected from three teachers and their students. The data analyses address: (1) the implementation of recommendations for fieldwork, and (2) the nature of student learning processes. After analyzing six cases of fieldwork including classroom preparation and follow-up work, we found only one case in which the students showed deeper learning processes and the teacher was satisfied with the activities and the students’ learning outcome. Therefore, the recommendations for fieldwork did not function as intended. The discussion focuses on the most successful case to see if recommendations for fieldwork can be reconsidered in order to support student learning processes more effectively.