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Lena Sheorey
Professor Marc Bousqet
ENG 363
Spring 2015

The importance of class excursions as part of the educational experience

My interest in field trips peaked this past semester when I was in the midst of
taking a Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Disease class in order to fulfill my
Neuroscience major. We spent the semester learning about all of the biological
mechanisms behind various neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington's disease,
Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) , and Amyotrophic
Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The science behind the diseases fascinated me. It was shocking
to see how minute malfunctions at such a microscopic level could escalate and manifest
themselves as these truly devastating diseases. The material was interesting and engaging,
yet it failed to take on a personal relevance until I went on an Alternative Spring Break
Trip halfway through the semester. During the trip, we made a visit to an Alzheimer's
Special Care Unit in which we had the opportunity to personally interact and speak with
Alzheimer's patients. Suddenly I understood that Alzheimer's was so much more than a
list of symptoms and malfunctioning neuronal mechanisms. The trip gave me the
opportunity to truly see how the disease manifested itself in real people and how it
affected them on a daily basis. When I returned from the Alternative Spring Break Trip
and resumed the neuroscience class, the material suddenly meant a lot more to me. I was

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able to apply my scientific knowledge to real people and to real diseases. The experience
made my in-class educational experience so much more meaningful, and has took on a
deeper significance in my life. Since then, the neuroscience I learn in my classes means
so much more to me, and has peaked my intrinsic motivation to learn more and to pursue
a career in medicine. My goal through this website is to share my positive experience
with others, so that they too have the opportunity to reap the benefits of field trips.
Excursions ultimately allow students to assign a personal relevance to what they have
learned in their classes, allowing them to have a more meaningful educational experience.
Thus, I believe that excursions should be included in the syllabi for undergraduate and
graduate classes.
First, it is important to establish what exactly are excursions. Excursions, more
commonly known as field trips, have been a staple to the American education system for
decades. According to Krepel and Duvall, a field trip is a school or class trip with an
educational intent, in which students interact with the setting, displays, and exhibits to
gain an experiential connection to the ideas, concepts, and subject matter (Krepel and
Duvall, 1981). They are also referred to as an instructional trip or school journey.
Similarly, Tal and Morag describe field trips as student experiences outside of the
classroom at interactive locations designed for educational purposes (Tal and Morag,
2009).
Regardless of how the term is defined, much data already exists proving the value
of field trips in a students educational experience. Much of the existing research centers
around field trips value in the pre-undergraduate sphere, namely from kindergarten to

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twelfth grade. According to DeWitt and Storksdieck, much field trip related research in
the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s focused on the learning potential of informal learning
environments like museums, zoos, planetaria or outdoor settings, or contrasted out-ofschool learning opportunities with in-school instruction (DeWitt and Storksdieck, 2008).
However, comparing the value of field trips to the value of traditional classroom learning
proved to be the wrong approach. Later studies ultimately showed that the value of field
trips lies in their supplemental use, rather than being used as an extension of classroom
teaching or as its replacement. In fact, field trips are not ideal for teaching complex
concepts or even isolated facts, they are not better classroom settings; instead, they
serve best as opportunities for exploration, discovery, first-hand, and original
experiences (DeWitt and Storksdieck, 2008). Thus, field trips are maximally effective
when used as a supplement rather than a replacement for in-class instruction, which
allows students to build upon knowledge that was obtained in class. This was proven by
Feher and Rice, as they demonstrated that in a museum setting, discussions with
students suggest that they learn the most from an exhibit when they already have some
understanding of the concept being presented (Feher and Rice, 1985). Orion made a
similar point, suggesting that the primary role of field trips in the learning experience is
to facilitate a direct experience with concrete phenomena and materials.
Once used in the proper manner, the benefits of field trips are endless. To begin
with, it has been proven that field trips help students to choose a career path which is
often a struggle for many students who are unable to narrow down their interests. In
2003, Salmi conducted a survey of university students as to why they had chosen their
area of study [which] indicated that visits to science centers played a role in the decisions

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of at least some to pursue science careers (Salmi, 2003). Additionally, in a study
involving 655 and then 300 children in two phases, Jarvis and Pell found that 20% to
25% of children visiting an interactive space center developed a new interest in science
and in pursuing a science career, an interest that was maintained five months after the
visit (Jarvis and Pell, 2002, 2005). It is evident that field trips help students to hone their
personal interests and select a career that they are passionate about.
In addition to assisting in career selection, field trips act as a source of intrinsic
motivation for students. Field trips allow educational experiences to become more
personally relevant and meaningful to the students. Lei observes that interactive exhibits
help students play with concepts, activities often not possible in the classroom and that
earlier course content suddenly becomes relevant as students assimilate and
accommodate new understanding and cognition (Lei, 2010). These interactive exhibits
Additionally, it is suggested that field trips take the pressure and stress out of learning
which is extremely beneficial. Rennie states that the focus may be individualized,
activities are not competitive or assessed, interaction is voluntary and unforced and that
these aspects create an intrinsically motivated student (Rennie, 2007).
Field trips also allow for students to engage in learned material in different ways,
especially because excursions serve as the bridge between in-class learning and real-life
application. Finally, the repeated and lamented question why do I even have to learn
this? often heard by teachers everywhere has found an answer - field trips. DeWitt
acknowledges the fact that when students see the real-life application of topics learned in
school, they are more likely to understand the relevance of what they are learning in their
classes. In fact, field trips allow students [to] develop a positive attitude for learning,

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motivating them to develop connections between the theoretical concepts in the
classroom and what has been experienced (Falk, Martin, and Balling, 1978; Hudak,
2003). This hands-on experience also aids for the transition from a concrete level of
cognition to a more abstract level of cognition (Wu, 2009). All of these benefits
ultimately lead to a deeper and more meaningful learning experience for students.
Beyond academic learning, field trips are a source of other forms of intelligence.
This includes social skills and affective outcomes. Field trips allow students to work in
groups with their peers, thus honing their social skills and collaboration techniques. It is
beneficial that field trips emphasize group work and social interactions, as these are two
skills that will almost always be necessary in any workplace. DeWitt argues that
affective outcomes - such as increased motivation or interest, sparking curiosity, or
improved attitudes towards a topic - may be more reasonable for school trips than
specific factual or concept learning outcomes, since the short-term nature of most field
trip experiences may not be best suited to create lasting cognitive effects ( DeWitt and
Storksdieck, 2008). Falk similarly pointed out that research has indicated that field trips
can be educationally effective from both a cognitive and affective standpoint (Falk,
1983).
All of the aforementioned benefits are not short-term. In fact, several long-term
benefits have been observed in longitudinal studies. A study conducted by Miglietta used
pre-questionnaires and post-questionnaires to show that after a visit to an italian marine
biology museum. students retained information they had learned about sharks,
particularly shark behavior, up to three months after a visit (Miglietta, 2008). Other
studies demonstrated that there was a long-lasting positive affective impact with

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students expressing increased interest in the subject matter of a school trip 18 months
after a visit (Knapp, 2000).
Although much of the existing research concerns the pre-undergraduate age
groups such as kindergarten to twelfth grade, this is not to say that the same benefits
could not apply to the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Instead, Wu points out that
though mostly used in K-12 education, field-based learning, primarily field trips, can be
useful in undergraduate and graduate education where students connect textbook and
classroom learning with the real world (Wu, 2009). The same benefits can transfer over
to the college classroom and to undergraduate students, which begs the question why
arent class excursions more common at the undergraduate and graduate levels?
The presence of field trips is nearly non-existent at the undergraduate and
graduate level. Yet, despite all the benefits that field trips bring to the table, they are on a
decline even at the K-12 level. Recently, many notable museums in the United States
have reported a steep decline in field trip attendance within the past year. Chicagos Field
Museum reported a 33% decline, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
County reported a 28% decline as well (Blair, 2008; Mehta, 2008). Such data suggests
that field trip attendance has also declined at similar institutions, including zoos and
aquariums. But why are field trips being used less and less frequently? The primary
reasons are logistical. In addition to a general lack of time, field trips are difficult to
organize and it is difficult to find a common time where all students are free to participate
in the excursion. There are always security, safety, and liability issues. Additionally, there
is a widespread lack of school funding, especially in public schools (DeWitt, 2008).
Funds would typically go towards tickets to the institution, transportation costs, and

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more. This means that many students would have to pay out of pocket in order to
participate in the field trips, which is undesirable and at times can be unfeasible for many
families (Anderson, 2006). Additionally, many teachers are hesitant to spend time on
field trips because there is a recent emphasis on standardized testing. It is difficult for
teachers to contend with a national curriculum or rigid state standards. Thus, many school
systems have started to categorize standardized testing as a priority. In fact, according to
Anderson, school district budget reductions and increasing transportation costs,
combined with an increased emphasis on standardized- test preparation, have been cited
as two reasons for the decreasing number of school field trips across primary and
secondary schools (Anderson, 2006).
However, in my opinion, the benefits that are reaped from field trips far outweigh
the logistical difficulties that accompany their planning. I believe that field trips are
beyond essential and need to be integrated into syllabi at the undergraduate and graduate
levels.
Works Cited
DeWitt, Jennifer. "A Short Review of School Field Trips: Key Findings from the Past and
Implications for the Future." Taylor & Francis. Visitor Studies, 16 Oct. 2008. Web.
30 Aug. 2015.
International Journal Of Environmental & Science Education. "A Review of Research on
School Field Trips and Their Value in Education." International Journal of
Environmental & Science Education (n.d.): n. pag. International Journal of
Environmental & Science Education, 8 Jan. 2014. Web.

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"Literature Review - Science Experiences in the Rochester, NY Area." Literature Review
- Science Experiences in the Rochester, NY Area. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2015.
Meiers, Nicholas J. "Meetings-Field Trips." Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America
51.3 (1970): 16-17. Middlebury. Middlebury College, May 2010. Web.
Tuffy, Jennifer. The Learning Trip: Using the Museum Field Trip Experience as a
Teaching Resource to Enhance Curriculum and Student Engagement. San Rafael,
CA: Dominican U of California, 2011. Dominican University of California, May
2011. Web.
Wu, Haw-Jan. Using Field Trips to Enhance Student Learning in Operations
Management: Literature Review and Field Observations (n.d.): n. pag. Csupom.org.
2009. Web.