MARINE P

OPULER S
CIENCE
EDUCATIO
N
LEARNING
EVALUATI
ONS

LEARNING
EVALUATIONS

Carl M. Stepath, Ph.D.

Sari Muthia Silalahi

1049A020

N
O
I
T
C
U
D
O
R
T
IN
e
b
o
t
t
h
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u
o
h
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s
Field visit
g
in
n
r
a
le
n
io
t
a
c
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d
e
important marine
d
e
s
a
-b
e
m
o
tc
u
o
t
u
b
,
experiences
is
y
g
o
g
a
d
e
p
is
th
t
u
o
b
research a
limited.

N
O
I
T
C
U
D
O
R
T
IN
s
a
ll
e
w
s
a
,
e
c
n
Direct reef experie
l
a
t
n
e
m
n
o
ir
v
n
e
in
student changes
l
a
ic
g
lo
o
c
e
d
n
a
,
s
e
d
u
knowledge, attit
s
a
w
n
io
t
c
a
re
u
t
intention toward fu
investigated.

N
O
I
T
C
U
D
O
R
T
IN
The

combination

outdoor

of

experience

classroom
had

the

and
most

,
e
g
d
le
w
o
n
k
l
ta
n
e
impact on environm
e
c
n
ie
r
e
p
x
e
f
e
re
while the outdoor
in
t
if
h
s
e
iv
it
s
o
p
t
elicited the larges
t.
c
a
to
n
io
t
n
e
t
in
l
a
ic
attitudes and ecolog

Queensland Studies Authority 2005

An aim of marine education, as stated

in the Marine Studies Syllabus is to

provide opportunities for students

to develop an awareness of the value
of the sea and coastal zone necessary
for the sustainable management of a
healthy

marine

environment

for

present and future generations.

Is this aim being realized, and how

 Kruse and Card

(2004)

argued students attitudes and behavior

became more
environmentally friendly with increased
outdoor experience, but they also noted
a

decreasing

conservation
experience.

trend
behavior

Even

of

self-reported

with

though

increased

experiential

education has many positive outcomes,

its

values

concerning

knowledge,

attitude, and actions are under scrutiny.

S
D
O
H
T
E
M

logy
o
d
o
h
t
e
al m
t
n
e
m
i
r
e
xp
e
i
s
a
u
gn
i
q
s
e
d
A
l
a
t
n
rime
e
p
st
x
e
e
t
e
t
v
s
i
t
o
a
p
t
i
d
t
- an
e
r
Quan
p
e
z
i
l
i
t
to u
d
e
d
i
c
e
d
it was
surveys.
e
tion
h
a
t
l
n
u
i
p
s
o
t
n
p
a
icip
t
r
a
Study
p
9
8
3
a l of
t
o
t
a
e
r
e
There w
study.
ve
i
t
a
t
i
l
a
u
Q
Interviews

Approach

EXPERIMENT
AL DESIGN

SURVEY
SURVEY
QUESTIONAR
QUESTIONAR
EE

9
Knowledge or
Enviromental
Issues

5
Attitudes

5
Actions

Research Orientation
Cronbachs alpha co-effi cient computed the internal consistenc
of the pre- and post-test. Pre- and post-test responses greater tha
0.7 indicated reliability.The pre- and post-test responses were
0.830 and 0.839.

Schedule of School Research

Data collection at the fi ve high schools.The project started with
School A in March and the data collection continued until
November 2003 .
Quantitative Data Analysis
Interrelationships were evaluated with SPSS11.

Qualitative
Approach

Qualitative interviews :
are very widely used in the
context
of
quantitative
research
projects
and
generated
additional
perspectives
and
insights
about students environmental
The interview questions
learning. :
were specifi c and consistent and
created a basic understanding of
meanings derived from reef
experiences.

Interviews

Structured interviews were conducted

using a standard set of questions and
provided the students personal views
about reef-learning.

The structure helped the interview process

to be completed in less time and minimized
disruptions
from
potential
lack
of
concentration.

These interviews enable readers to

empathetically
share
thoughts
and

LIMITATIONS
Research Methodology
The classroom presentations were only 50
minutes with a single 50-minute, reefmonitoring experience, so the interventions
were not fully developed temporally.

Consistency

was

major

aim,

but

presentations and reef experiences differed

slightly

from

school

to

school.

These

 Researching students in outdoor learning

situations is diffi cult; however, the
experimental design and sample size
minimized the effect of extraneous
variables.
Logistics and time-management were
problematic for the solitary researcher,
especially collecting fi eld trip and parental
consent forms, meeting schedules at
geographically separate schools, and
collecting interview data from students.
Scheduling was an occasional problem,

Limitations of the Research

Data Collection
On large class trips, it was possible to keep only 60%.
The monitoring and organizational duties at the reef
required total concentration and sometimes, the
researcher got distracted or tired, and the quality of
the interview data collection may have suffered. These
situations could have affected research results.

Limitations of the Research

Data Collection
The interview experience of the researcher was a
limitation, as was basing the qualitative research
on the same realist and objectivist assumptions
as quantitative studies

Limitations of the Research

Analysis
Variables are missing from the model
and unknown variables could be
responsible for an effect, but this was
out of the control of the researcher.
The experimental design attempts to
control for this, but it is not possible
to
incorporate
every
variable.
Consequently, this work is a
baseline study in Australian reef
education and investigation of

REVIEW OF SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS

IN LIGHT OF EXISTING RESEARCH

Students
environmental
knowledge,
attitudes,
and
ecological intention to act were
significantly and directly correlated
to previous reef experience.
Previous experiences of reefs,
camping, and snorkeling correlated
strongly to knowledge and intention
to act responses.