Graduate Action Research Project

Emory & Henry College

Spring 2015
Aaron Napier

Introduction / Rationale
Introduction / Rationale

Humans have always observed the

environment to gain a better
understanding of the natural world
and I would argue that it is essential in
studying earth science. Students are
pressured to suppress their energy
throughout an entire school day,
which leads to problems with
behavior. Allowing time for students to
focus that energy in a constructive
way, such as field work, mitigates that
problem. In a world that is thriving with
technology, more and more people
have become disconnected with the
natural world in which they live. Field
experience in earth science classes
works to connect the disconnected to
the ecosystem, which is the platform
that everything exists upon.
This study is designed to examine
the major differences of two teaching
styles: field experience used in
conjunction
with
project-based
learning, and traditional lecture style
classrooms in regards to the students
abilities to retain the material.

Research Topic

Literature Review

How does the implementation of field

experience and project based learning
compare to traditional lecture style
classrooms in Earth Science?

Project Based learning (PBL)

originated during the progressive
movement and was used by important
scholars such as John Dewey
(Delisle, 1997). It was then that people
started to accept the idea that there is
a big difference in memorizing
information and actually putting it to
use. Delisle (1997) explains that,
[PBL] provides a structure for
discovery
that
helps
students
internalize learning and leads to
greater comprehension (p. 1).

Research Design
This study is designed to take place in two standard
secondary earth science classrooms. The lecture style
classroom will make use of resources that are traditional in the
classroom. They will explore the concept of water as a natural
resource by completing reading assignments from a standard
textbook and other supplementary materials, such as online
readings. Furthermore, they will be required to keep an
organized notebook of notes taken during class lectures.
Students in the project-based learning (PBL) classroom will
be active in the field by utilizing both tools to gauge water
resources and field journals to keep track of data and
observations. Additionally, students will be in charge of asking
questions and finding solutions to questions regarding the topic.
The students will be evaluated via pre- and post-assessment
comparisons. Improvement will be charted and quantified.

According to Delo (1950),

science itself must accomplish by
making it possible for the average
nonscientist to relate to the realities of
science to the realities of his [or her]
own life (p.59). Some areas that
should be focused on in an earth
science education program include
land-use
practices
such
as
preservation of forests and problems
with water, which include groundwater
depletion, flood prevention, and river
control (Delo, 1950).