Learning science outside the classroom: development and validation of the out-of-school learning environments perception
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Learning science outside the classroom: development and validation of the out-of-school learning environments perception scale Ahmet Ilhan Sen 1 & Hulya Ertas-Kılıc 2 & Ozlem Oktay 3 Zafer Kadırhan 4
& Serkan
Ekinci 1 &
Accepted: 3 November 2020/ # Outdoor Education Australia 2020
Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a novel scale, the Development and Validation of Out-of-School Learning Environments Perception Scale (OSLEPS), that measures middle school students’ perceptions of out-of-school learning environments. A total of 990 middle school students (583 females and 407 males) participated in the study. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted using the data collected from 549 students to provide evidence for the validity and reliability of the structure of the OSLEPS and its underlying subscales. A four-factor structure emerged: incentive for learning, learning benefits, integration, and involvement. Then, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using the data collected from 441 students to confirm the fourfactor structure of the 16-item OSLEPS. Further validation of the OSLEPS was performed based on the students’ gender and grade levels. Statistical analyses indicated that the OSLEPS is a valid instrument that can be used to investigate middle school students’ perceptions of out-of-school learning environments and viewed as an alternative to existing scales in the related area. Further internal and external validity with additional samples and other out-of-school learning settings is warranted. Keywords Perception . Out-of-school learning environments . Scale development . Middle
school students
* Ozlem Oktay [email protected]
1
Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
2
Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Aksaray University, Aksaray, Turkey
3
Kazim Karabekir Education Faculty, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey
4
Department of Computer Engineering, Sirnak University, Sirnak, Turkey
Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education
Introduction Out-of-school learning environments Learning doesn’t only happen in school classrooms; people experience learning outside of the formal classroom setting. Other than classroom learning, learning that takes place in alternative settings may be termed “out-of-school learning” (Tal 2012), “informal, authentic, everyday learning” (Griffin and Symington 1997), “free-choice learning” (Falk 2001), and “nonformal learning” (Eshach 2007). Learning situations and conditions tend to be studied according to in-school and out-of-school contexts, where outof-school contexts can be indoor and/or outdoor. When learning that would normally take place in the school classroom is conducted outdoors in more natural environments, it can be referred to as “outdoor learning” (Waite 2017). In this sense, outdoor learning is a subset of out-of-school learning, which can also occur indoors, such as in a museum or gallery. The main point is that, through learning in out-of-school contexts, lear
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