this is my PROPOSAL. for weeks, lots of efforts taken to complete this proposal. ha,finally,it's finished. =)

PERCEIVED IMPACT OF OUTDOOR EDUCATION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOL SELANGOR, MALAYSIA

1.0 INTRODUCTION

In today’s scope of Malaysian Education, we always emphasise about success of the uniformed examination given by Ministry of Education and education body in Malaysia in class. Students certainly become a robot that continues getting the load of information so that by the end of the day, we expect that these students could transformed into a decent operative robots that has been created by the education bodies. Outdoor education, outdoor curriculum have been made contained by the law that specified that the student must been through the modules that have several information and knowledge include common knowledge, life care, outdoor education and seminar that empower them to face the challenging future.

Clearly, the stated rules was established by regulatory bodies with a clear resolve which is: “To close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind”(Dakar Framework,2000). The order involves several actions from all states in Malaysia to improve and then, transfer out yearly evaluations related to national(Malaysia) standards, classify troubled schools that are not contributing sufficient achievements in student motivation and scores, and execute penalties and sanctions on that particular schools. Even though the latest realistic research has stated that outdoor education/activities has optimistic effect on these secondary school student mathematic scores, mainly at the initial grades, but still, the one that cannot be denied, that its harmful effects as example, the reduction of non-exam programme and the increasing students stress create more courtesy in the literature review, that will be discussed later.

There is one teacher demonstrated on ‘how the former Malaysian Education age has lead elementary and middle schools and teachers in the incorrect direction’: Schools have created an expectation to the public set of mind where mastery/experts simply means as an individual achievement, by completing a competitive procedure. A teachers’ work is well-defined as the curriculum and assessment system which demands efficient/effective coverage of content-oriented material organized in discrete time periods with prescribed problem “bits” that are easily evaluated as either correct or incorrect. (Hart, 2010, p. 158). By the continuation of the factory classic model of schooling, it has successfully uniforming what these pupil/students are trained regarding their grades, but this classical method of teaching has fails to reason for students’ universal abilities and desires.

We have used this classical method of teaching and learning for a very long time. it said that the student test achievement have major implications in order to survive in the school, restructuring of instructional phase to emphasis disproportionally on the verified comfortable areas at the sacrificed on the other subjects, the arts and physical education in specific, has been recognized as a open and fine documented practice (Berliner, 2010; Hannaway & Hamilton, 2008; Ladd, & Zelli, 2002; Pedulla, Abrams, Madaus, Russell, Ramos, & Miao, 2003). Even recess time (Henley, McBride, Milligan, & Nichols, 2007) and lunch time(Nichols & Berliner, 2007) have lost time to instruction aimed at raising test scores. The outdoor education impact and needs will be discussed and analyse in the literature.

The pupils’ unease and tension might get worse and complicated by the other effect of this test-curriculum and exam-oriented learning. As a result, these students might have decrease motivation and interest with the school common method of learning because of teacher’s lack of ability to conduct learning method and organize learning around the issues related or themes arise based on the students’ need and wants. Berliner (2010) has debated that this incapability of teachers and educators to create/make sure that the knowledge/structure is appropriate and consequently, it has separate the students to eagerness to make new knowledge. These students feel that whenever relevance in education not exists, the conduct of school will become a boring routine for students. And when their school activities becomes boring, these students might waiting for the ‘5 minutes break’ that the class provided, not interested to the study anymore.

But somehow, as stated before, most of the classes, physical education and arts especially, are losing time to subject matter that is examined (Berliner, 2010; Hannaway & Hamilton, 2008; Ladd, & Zelli, 2002; Pedulla et al., 2003). This particular problem has contributed another problems that have long ago being discussed in the ministry of education and education regulatory bodies which are: lack of outdoor activities. Henley, McBride, Milligan, and Nichols (2007) have debated this lack of physical education time, as this problem might have negative impacts on students’ health and wellness.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

As a human beings, we have inborn values and needs to fulfil our desire to make activities outside of the scope and beyond the common practice in school nowadays. Unfortunately, what we can see in today’s world reality is differ than the dreamed expectations. In today’s world, these students do not have much time doing activities outside the class. It is safe for us to call that these students been trained and being treated to be a ‘shut-in freak’. It has been recognized that this decline in time spent outdoors problems will contribute to the bad effect on the student’s human development. But, we might have the several solutions to this problem.

Science teachers in school frameworks might help to reorganize the lacking opportunities for the students in quantity of time these children spend outside of their classroom by captivating their common indoor science classes to outdoors education for classroom teaching. The previous study made by the researcher has identified the benefits of study outdoor. This research will identify the positive effects that studying and exploring in the outdoor classroom setting that might have an outstanding impacts and results on the students while learning secondary school science subject.

This research aimed to identify and recognised that the sensation of independence and autonomy that the students gained by studying in an outdoor-classroom places, and the uniqueness of the outdoor activities environment did help to improve the middle school student satisfaction and eagerness for learning middle school science subjects. To add some several ideas and knowledge, as a result from this study, we will identify more realistic framework is needed to rectify how the peer to peer (P to P) relationships are impacted by outdoors educations, and how educators could apply the best ways to the outdoor setting for regular science classroom, and how these outdoor education might lead to the better idea and framework for the Ministry of Education to be ponder of.

Place-Based Education

Place-based education (PBE) is a simple term used to show the possible answer for the problems occurred in education world. Basically says: Place-based education exists as the method of utilizing the native community and setting as an initial starting point to demonstrate the ideas in language, talents, calculation, community lessons, science together with another subject in the given curriculum. By putting emphasis on real-life learning experiences, we can use this method to help the students to improve in their academic study. This method of learning also make the student’s bond stronger with the local community, improves students’ gratitude to the world(earth),as well as it makes a better obligation to help as an active and kind-hearted citizens (Sobel, 2005, p. 7). Place-based education comprises students from all level regardless of their age(form1 to form 3 for this research) to step outside from their classroom and try to communicate with the natural environment. Somehow, the education varies in for a certain topic in the subject. Some popular believes said that PBE is beyond the simple method to teach science in class though. David Gruenewald (2003) calls all students of the Place Based Education programme to do beyond their limitations to get more results from Place Based Education program. To be more specific, the real reason in promoting for a serious education by using PBE is the main things for helping students to achieve academic excellence, not only just become a merely learning tools of education for science teachers at middle schools.

Place-based education (PBE) has created some havoc attention and drew much care as it is appear much more in the writings during this time of the study era. Educators, programs, regions and peoples who knows the critical importance of student academic achievement, and moral as well as leadership together believe the needs that students can be eager and play an active role while studying. One Vermont teacher clarified that, “Place-based curriculum, mostly proactive actions, makes impact by letting the students to communicate. It’s the connections that are really meaningful for the students. It makes learning authentic and meaningful. The authenticity came from relevance” (Jennings, Swidler, & Koliba, 2005, p. 59). In addition, Powers (2004) stated in her cross-program study studying the effects of Place Based Education program, “place-based education affects student motivation for and engagement in learning. Several teachers said that students paid more attentions to their studies and tried harder because they knew the people was involved and cared” (p. 27).

An experimental research that observe the connection between the training of Place Based Education and its effect on student education (Emekauwa, 2004; SEER, 2000 & 2005; Von Secker, 2004) have denied the popular belief that outside classroom teaching lead to a waste of time and lead to higher failure rate among these students. The test held in Louisiana (Emekauwa, 2004) and California (SEER 2000 & 2005) look into whether this PBE programs make significant difference for their achievement in their academic excellence or not compared to a classical method of teaching and learning in the class. There are many other research that study the advantage and disadvantage of using this Place Based Learning in the science teaching and learning including academic excellence, motivation, student, community communication, morality, critical thinking skills, and student set of leadership skills (Athman & Monroe, 2004; Powers, 2004; Volk & Cheak, 2003).

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

The education standard systems which is currently used by Ministry of Education (MOE) Malaysia have already set the goals to get each middle school students to critically understand the topic that they have studied rapidly and proficiently so it will help by giving chance to the students so that these middle school students can try using it in the their tests and assessments as soon as possible. This important part of process of learning should be not only improved for time proficiency, but this process learning conduct also would be easy to understand enough because of the reality practical can be done because of that it can be effortlessly understood by all educators and middle school students.

Unfortunately, Ministry Of Education present school structures can be easily summarized as incompetent, and lack of supervision of use of the school, unproductive organization, and definitely wasting government time and capitals. The impact of wasting teacher hours of study in order to get unimportant job done, it costs us a lot by means of the recent education system have contribute to the lack of understanding and skills, together with the other impact which is the students and teachers less reasonable and less skilled. Furthermore, by contributing to the unpleased sluggish development and improvement in students educations, Ministry Of Education, it does create an bad perception of our country’s education system image.

The lack of competencies of the existing education system signifies the significant financial burden for the company. On total, the government/wasted roughly 200 million ringgit per annum, for textbook and training provided to teachers and students, resulting in a total of one billion ringgit wasted in the whole of PPSMI program.

As this research continues to identify and try to clarifies the ideas and knowledge, we could also continue to clarify the simple idea of the new system (Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3(tiga)), but then it might not be more than a paragraph or two in this research, as we might see that the key problem and the analysis of it will be stated and conducted in the bodies of the proposal as well as the literature review. Ministry Of Education standpoints is to get advantage basically from the practice from this recent education platform of studies. For example, the quality of exam questions improved and fraction of students who are failing PT3 subjects has decreased. The proportion money can be allocated into other packages, as an examples extra motivator program, extra teachers teaching PT3, and so on. In addition, by using this new outdoor education programs help by generate new ideas and knowledge about the skills needed by the middle school students. In order to implement the solution to the problem, Ministry Of Education try to manage it well to gain great acknowledgment as the ministry of education accountable in the areas of value and suitability.

The importance of the outdoor education can be seen as an alternative to the basic classical teaching and learning method. We can try to implement the outdoor education into the school and see the results whether it is suitable to be used for a long term or not. Students’ perception, viewpoints should be taken as an important part of the studies as the study is conducted in order to gain extra knowledge about outdoor education.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH

The purpose of this study was to explore how the students in public schools specifically in Banting, Selangor Darul Ehsan experienced the outdoor learning curriculum. Special courtesy was given to these students’ connection with and curiosity about outdoor science learning curriculum. The students’ connection with the outdoor classroom settings were being identified as an important focus in this study. Lastly, in order to complete this research, students’ opinion of their own satisfaction when learning in outdoor classroom setting was explored.

The objective was made after consider the needs and knowledge needed by the researcher about this particular study. It critically analyse the objective, aims, setting of the research, culture and common practice of the school in order to find out what is needed for us to know about the schools.

The objective of this research can be concluded as:

1. To learn more about how the competence is affected by learning in an outdoor setting.

2. To obtain information about how the feeling of autonomy was affected by learning in an outdoor setting

3. To identify the relatedness of classroom environment with students’ degree of interaction and autonomy

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The Research Questions that guided this research are included:

1. Is there any effect of learning in an outdoor setting towards the competencies of

the students?

2. How was the feeling of autonomy affected by learning in an outdoor setting?

3. Is there any relatedness of classroom environment with students’ degree of interaction and autonomy?

1.5 SCOPE OF LIMITATIONS

The first limitation for this research is the respondents of the study. The respondents is only limited to students in school in Banting, Selangor. There are different grade and form consist of form 1, 2 as well as form 3 students. The difference of age and form might have affect how the question will be treated and answered by these students. Normally students in form 3 will know how to manage and conduct in outdoor activities. That means, the respondents might not only specified in students perception only but might have affected by teachers or school culture. This study does not limit to the students only but the school help might be one part of the respondents in order to get the specified data.

The second limitation that can be identified is the sample size in the study might not be adequate for this research to be generalized. The sample size for this research is too small to be taken as a good research. The sample is limited to 6 students/respondents consist of students from form1, 2, and 3 in Banting. As a good research, the sample should be increased in order to generalize the conclusion to be adapted in other places based on the student’s view of learning outdoor in science class for secondary school students.

The third limitation for this research is the setting for this study will be conducted. It only conducted in a school at Banting, Selangor, and the sample taken only from that school. In this study, it collected some (statistic, interview, words) from secondary school students for science subject about their experiences, educations, who are registered in middle school in Banting, Selangor. This research will as well perceived several benefit such as level of students routines, socially and psychologically happiness, methods used by the students to comprehend their subjects, Nevertheless, this research not, observes students that are in alternative educational institution such as (cluster school, High Achievement School) and the students at risk who are in juvenile detention services.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH

The major motive why this study is significant can be clarified from numerous aspects. First, this research investigates several students in the school about their perception, attitudes, standpoints, and their contributions toward the continuations as well as focus on study to a better higher level. As a result, this research have potentials to offer some realistic messages to societies( public people, government, private sector, media) in Malaysia about steering a special education for them.

For the second aim, the outcome of the ‘Perceived Impact Of Outdoor Education For Secondary School Students In Public School Selangor, Malaysia’ will help the Ministry of Education formally and educators generally by improving our understanding either our education systems functioning or not, so that we can provide another suitable alteration and improvement as well as simulations to the other secondary students (learning students).

For the next goal, it is wished that this research may aid the students in order for them to know their ways to achieve future goals and reconstruct their ideas and actions to achieve better life in education studies.

Next, this study hopefully will help the Ministry of Education Malaysia to detect the needs of the outdoor learning environment for secondary students in Selangor by implementing some new extra-curricular that based on outdoor activities and learning.

Ministry of Education Malaysia might as well identify some needs by the teachers using this study by providing the training and courses for the teachers about teaching in outdoor learning. This extra training will help the teachers to teach in a better ways and let them mentally and psychologically prepared.

For the school benefit, this study helps by giving ideas to the academic staff in allocating more effective teaching strategies that can improve students’ achievement and results. By identifying the problems and methods to conduct, the school can prepared a better facilities and programmes to give benefit for all stakeholders in need.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

1.7.1 OUTDOOR EDUCATION

Outdoor education’ holds activities and performances that usually happen in the outdoors, regularly have an exploratory part, generally contain physical activity, and always respect the natural environment.

“Outdoor education is used to refer to those activities concerned with living, moving and learning in the outdoors. This will include survival, residential experiences, and a variety of activities, both physical and concerned with observing the environment. The outdoors will normally be interpreted in terms of situations where self-reliance is required. These activities are selected and designed to achieve objectives within aims which are concerned primarily with developing attitudes and relationships.“ (quoted in Hopkins and Putnam, 1993:9)

1.7.2 OUTDOOR CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Reflecting the thinking of the time, there is a clear emphasis on activities rather than process. The same emphasis can be detected in the High Quality Outdoor Education guidance (English Outdoor Council, 2005):

Central to the philosophy of outdoor education is the idea of heightening awareness of and fostering respect for oneself, others and the environment. Forming part of the Dartington Conference definition and later developed by Mortlock (1984), these aims are still central to many practitioners today. The emphasis on personal growth is highlighted by Hopkins and Putnam’s (1993:3) assertion that “it is not a subject but an approach to education which is concerned with the overall development of young people”.

1.7.3 ADVENTURE EDUCATION

Subtly different, adventure education implies challenge coupled to uncertainty of outcome (Hopkins & Putnam, 1993), and is “a form of experiential learning typically associated with activities involving risk” (Berry & Hodgson, 2011: i). The use of specialized equipment and staff is usually a central feature, and, while there is often a strong link to personal and social development, there tends to be an emphasis on the use of activities such as canoeing, climbing and mountain walking as vehicles for development. Adventure education shares many attributes with outdoor education and the terms are often used interchangeably.

1.7.3 LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM (LOTC)

A specific movement focused on school, involves “the use of places other than the classroom for teaching and learning. It is about getting children and young people out and about, providing them with challenging, exciting and different experiences to help them learn.” (LOtC, 2011) LOtC examples comprise events in the school surroundings, forest schools, visits to farmhouses, museums and places of study and observation in the local places, together with longer trips further afield.

1.8 CONCLUSION

This research of ‘Perceived Impact of Outdoor Education for Secondary School Students in Public School Selangor, Malaysia’ discovered how student performance and satisfaction are affected when studying at an outdoor places and conditions from the viewpoint of middle students from form 1, 2 as well form 3 in the specified secondary school science class. In order to rectify and analyse the data correctly, Ryan and Deci’s, Self-Determination Theory (2000) will be used to monitor the research design and the data analysis for this study.

For every and each of the components of Self Determination Theory, competence, autonomy, and relatedness, the respondent’s group protocol and questionnaires involving some questions established to gain info about how learning in an open-air places give significant effect to every area. The case that was formed as an item for consumption of this information, then exploration of the data is prepared giving to those several modules of the theoretical framework.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 INTRODUCTION

Under second chapter, it will define the research study made by the researcher including the scientific opinions to see the degree of the effect of outdoor learning on middle school students. This research is very essential in order to support the whole research. This chapter is designed to discuss on the criticism of related literature, the review of outdoor education: impact on middle school students in Banting, Selangor and theoretical agenda.

2.1 EARLY STATEMENT

Torquati, Gabriel, Leeper-Miller, Jones-Branch, (2010) describe the reasons of nature-outdoor learning as “encouraging ecological knowledge, as it consider having information of our natural atmosphere, the methods the people needs the nature in order to survive, as well as actions that human can applies to look after it and recover it” (p. 98). In these few years back, the period that these youngsters devote outdoor in natural surroundings has dropped (Clements, 2004; Waite, 2010). Involvements in natural environment (garden, forest, etc.) as well as time that been used outdoor have showed paybacks in academic excellence, reduced understanding difficulties, then increase the level of conduct and social skills in these youngsters (The American Institutes of Research, 2005; Lieberman & Hoody, 1998; Mills, 2008; Connors & Perkins, 2009).

2.2 LACK OF TIME SPENT OUTDOORS BY YOUNGSTERS

Louv (2010) has invented the word Nature Deficit Disorder(NDD) that refer to the undesirable effect on physical bodies and health that arise from the opening hole between human being and natural environment. Clements (2004) has already realized a decline in out-of-doors activities and the activities that these youngsters should have if it to be compared to their parents’ childhoods. Commonly, todays youngsters have not physically active and not spent time outside for long, compared to the kids from era of 1950’s and 1960’s (Karsten, 2005).

Olson and Clough (2009) mentioned that the decline in the respect given to natural environment by these numerous youngsters have possibly enlightening the reasons of why the drop in time used for outdoors activities in nature even happened. Waite (2010) has already transcribed and mentioned on the decrease of the time teenagers in schools use for outside programs and activities, and has detected that the children starting as early as six years old until eleven is the least number compared to others regarding to outdoor learning education today.

2.3 ACADEMIC EFFECTS OF SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS

According to (Lieberman & Hoody, 1998), scientists have seen that school kids learn effectively using the natural environment setting rather than when they go through a traditional method of teaching and learning. Academician accept the idea of that pupils who are take part in an activities/programs together with environmental venture made better excellence academically compared to schoolchildren at the similar schools who do not take part in the programs (Lieberman & Hoody, 1998). As an additional information, it is found that the students that take part in outdoor education shows promising increases in science exam results as mentioned by American Institutes of Research (2005). Connors and Perkins (2009) found that the children improve exam scores after some involvement in studying in an outdoor environment setting.

Academicians has tried to make a relationship between time used by spending time outside with a better physical fitness, which is the main reasons to the result of improvements in academic excellence (Sallis, 2010, Brymer, Cuddihy & Sharma-Brymer, 2010). Permitting nature activities during the school day will help to improve the children’s health and academic

excellence (Sallis, 2010). Tatarchuk and Eick (2011) together with Heilbronner (2008) perceived that an out-of-doors schoolroom is inspiring and improving eagerness for learning among the students. Berman (2008) said before, “Improvements attained through communicating and exploring with nature were selective to directing attention” (p. 1210), stated that nature understanding and experience are important to mental excellence of thinking. Parents mentioned that kids who suffer of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) has clearly got better attention talents while doing activities in outdoor settings (Faber-Taylor, et. al., 2001). It also reported that, school kids who involves in open-air environment had a lower potential of ADD symptoms as compared to the kids who only involves in activities in indoor spaces (Faber-Taylor, et. al., 2001). other proofs comes from Mills (2008) quoted German researches that stated that school kids who join outdoor preschools got extra skill of concentration and rational thoughtful abilities compared to school kids who only attended classical traditional indoor preschool activities.

Making the students join an outdoor activity can give the kids motivation to study (Olson & Clough, 2009). Maynard and Waters (2007) stated that mathematic and literacy activities are most frequently informed by educators as the subjects that are taught in an outdoor place. Even at certain areas, the schools management have designed special outdoor periods every week for students to make activities (Maynard & Waters, 2007). “The irregularity of the natural world is a feature that could be related together to regenerate enthusiasm and curiosity in school kids and offer a motivating starting point for future curricular development” (Waite, 2010, p. 120).

2.4 PHYSICAL IMPACTS OF SPENDING TIME OUTDOORS

“Schoolrooms might be the only place that education can be done before, but for today’s class, most kids can learn better if they are given the opportunity to have class while being physically active, while nature green time is comforting, and improve the learning process” (Connors & Perkins, 2009, p.58). Mygind (2007) mentioned that many teachers feel physical activities are tremendously good for the students.

(Mygind, 2007) stated that increased physical activity will help students to get a good academics excellence. Another good word comes from Mygind’s (2007) is that lessons in an outdoor environment might have effect on the percentage of kids who “lack concern in physical activity” (p. 174). As we can see, it clearly stated the benefits to children’s bodily health due to involvements in natural environment (Torquati et al, 2010).

2.5 MORE EVIDENCE SUPPORTS NATURE-BASED SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT

The research gives extra confirmation to backing up the advantage on school accomplishment from nature-based teaching and learning in public schools. For this (2005) research is parallel with the outcomes of two pioneer research, stated as, “Closing the Achievement Gap” (1998) together with “California Student Assessment Project” (2000). Students in nature-based school programs achieve excellent mark as well or better on uniform events in four elementary school subject — reading, mathematics, language and spelling test. The nature-green activities also raise cooperative learning and civic obligation, using the nature green features of the school surroundings and local community as the initial outline for the curriculum. Although advantages are important, this research also means a signal for the hurdles that will occur in preserving nature-based programs in schools on a longitudinal basis, regardless of large evidence of benefits. (SEER: Poway, CA, 2005).

2.6 SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL IMPACTS OF SPENDING TIME OUTDOOR

School kids who joined an outdoor science school increased their skills to clearly solve fights/conflicts/problems (American Institutes of Research, 2005). O’Brien’s (2008) inspection at Forest Schools in England turn out to that join in pupils have improved self-esteem as well as enhanced social abilities and communication skills. Based on O’Brien (2008) they detected that outdoor activities in natural environments make the students to discuss with everyone and work together to create a house in the forest or be in charge of climbing a tree. As the extra information, knowledge in nature has taught children to “take a threat that challenges, but does not lead to injury” (O’Brien, 2008, p. 52).” Team work is one of the examples of the attentiveness for friends that the kids might get when invovled in outdoor educational environments (O’Brien, 2008). Positive attachment, relationship structure, and curiosity about someone else’s ideas because of mutual nature familiarities have also been recognized as advantages (Heilbronner, 2008; Endreny, 2007). Berger (2008) realized that an advantage of nature understandings for children is learning to survive with harsh and unexpected a thing, which is one of the most important social ability. In addition, know-hows abilities in natural environments teach the students about the gratitude for diversity (Torquati et al, 2010).

2.7 DIFFICULTIES TO USING THE OUTDOOR SETTING IN SCHOOLS

Trainers have recognized weather conditions and security (Maynard and Waters, 2007), the emphasis on standardized test scores, classroom management (Skamp, 2009), absence of self-confidence among students (Carrier, 2009), and lack of time as the main causes for not taking the children outdoor during the class period (Pöllänen et al., 2011; Tal & Morag, 2009). For an instance, Prince William County Public Schools Physical Education Administration Guidelines (2013) at State of Virginia stated that, trainers are not permitted to take the pupils outside whenever the “real feel temperature goes below thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit or above ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit” (p. 9). Furthermore, when the temperature guide is over 95 degrees, outdoor activities are forbidden (Prince William County Public Schools Physical Education Administration Guidelines, 2013). All of the rules and regulations, regulated by the ministry stated that teachers need to be alert of when taking students outdoors, and this would be a problem for the science teachers to teach outside of the classrooms.

Tal and Morag’s (2009) research studied teacher behaviours and face obstacles about considering using the nature-based environment as a teaching space for students learning place. Tal and Morag (2009) resolved that educators necessarily needs more preparation in using the open air as a classroom place, and when an instructor take part in a training program about how to use the nature-based as a class, they have higher chance of utilizing it with the school kids that he/she teaches. Nevertheless, researchers find that educators who use woods for recreation and relaxation may be the one who will use it for student lessons (Pöllänen, et al, 2011).

Extra researches have emphasized that self-confidence is the most critical feature for educators that use natural environment based as a classroom (Nundy et al, 2009; Carrier, 2009). It is likely that if outdoor education increases student commitment and motivation, it will improve a teacher’s will to try teaching their students outside for outdoor activities.

2.8 SUMMARY

This research might be extended into other dimensions and other extra participants can be included in this research. As we can narrate here, the impact of these outdoor learning programmes has been significant into all children range from primary until the secondary school. As far as been concern, this children believe and even been proved, to have extra knowledge and ideas by practising outdoor learning in their daily school life. This study that in area of learning for these student ranges from form 1 until for 3 is rare. School need to explore the potential abilities and extra programmes that can help to promote outdoor learning for the students. The potential advantage such as academic excellence, social life development, motivation as well as healthy lifestyle can be seen as an added potentials value for this programmes to be practiced in other school. Students might have an extra talent that can contribute to build better learning system in the future of education world.

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.0 INTRODUCTION

This chapter will describe the technique used to examine the research questions. This chapter includes the reason for using a qualitative method, specifically the descriptive design as the research strategy. This research will also label the event and respondent selection, the data sources that been examined for the research, recording and analysis techniques, and the honesty of the research proposal. This research will define the impact of outdoor education among students in secondary school in Banting Selangor Darul Ehsan.

3.1 REASONS OF USING QUALITATIVE METHOD

Qualitative analysis, according to Patton (2002), is designed for “studying issues in depth and detail” (p. 14) in order to gain a deeper understanding of a culture, an experience, or a phenomenon. As Martin and Leberman (2002) observed in outdoor education, it is qualitative, in-depth responses that provide a richer, more detailed representation of what is really taking place. In order to get more realistic research data, qualitative study approach has been chosen to be conducted in this research to find out how the respondents(students) use their creativity and using their past experiences, as seen in the lens of assessment, in outdoor learning education. Under the literature review stated before, the constructive opinion of learning has also been applied to the research approach as the approach is using the similar simple concept. The idea of constructivism is basically using the perception that people construct knowledge and reality internally, rather than it being an external objective truth that is transmitted from one person to another (Piaget, 1954). This research trying to look for an answer about how the respondents(students) have built and practiced in reality about their estimation and contribution in outdoor learning environment.

3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN/STRATEGY

In order to get full answer for the research, case study method has been chosen to aid this research question to be answered. This approach was chosen because of the critical complexity of the assessment factor. Even though this research has aimed to analyse students perspective on assessment and evaluation about outdoor activities and education, it surely hard to understand the viewpoint before we fully understand the settings in which it was established. Because of that factor, this research needs to be aware of many reasons including the school factor, evaluation outline, and the trend used by the school about outdoor activities programs and most importantly, the students’ reaction and communication to these factors. In order to choose the best case for study, the basic idea is to clearly explain the means of a ‘case’. Stake (1995) perceives that individuals together with activities that can be explained as bounded systems will be the best ideas for the case study, compared to other systems.

There are two types of case studies which are intrinsic and instrumental. Instrumental case studies happen when exploring a certain case will improve and give extra ideas for basic understanding of an issue or factor. Meanwhile, intrinsic case studies might happen if the investigators need something or have interest in that study so that he can fine some advantage through that research (Stake, 1995).

This exploratory case study will be conducted using qualitative information collected from a middle school science class. It will be conducted to the students from form 1, form 2, as well as from form 3 students. Case studies study realistic interferences for a modern problematic (Yin,2009) and as well conduct a universal investigation in order to get a reliable data. For this research, case study was carefully designated since it might help to offer the complete image of an involvement in the study (Neal, Thapa, & Boyce, 2006) as an example, learning in an outdoor place and settings within a particular class of students.

A researcher might use the strategy of inquiry and problem based research to be conducted in this research. This strategy allow the researcher to examine deeply about the research question stated, and they might have to struggled to acquire good approvals concerning the difficulty of practicing outdoor education not only for the students, but for the secondary school science teachers as well. The readers can see that the model of case study let the people to meet the personal goals and it simply reflect their own practice of research conduct (Stevenson, 2004), and this model used students’ viewpoints’ that are regularly ignored in educational reform focused to improve the ideas to practice it in

the science subject classroom.

3.3PARTICIPANTS OF THE STUDY

The sample size needed/chose for the research proposal contained of students from form 1, form 2 and form 3 from the middle-school school at Banting, Selangor purposely students from science classes. My subject school is one of government school organizations, and its site has an outdoor place (yard) that can be used for the outdoor lessons.

For form 1, two (2) students will be selected from a class which consist of 25 students, which comprise of 15 females and 10 male students. For form 2 students, two respondents will be chosen from the class that consist of 30 students, 20 females and 10 females. For form 3 students, two students will be chose to be interviewed from a class that consist of 28 students, 20 is female and the other 8 is male. From all this students, the student who needs special care is nil.

The approvals and findings from this research will be defined after, and will be related on how the outdoor education class will have effect towards the communication among these students. Based on that, the research is separated into units using the elements of student commitment as defined by SDT (Self-Determination Theory) which are relatedness competence, and autonomy, then, every unit is leads by using set of relevant research questions together with extra sub-questions that been provided.

3.4 DATA COLLECTION

For this qualitative study, the data has been collected by using a combination of modest information by using a set of interview questionnaires and other people academic sample. The respondents for these interview questionnaires are students from form1, form 2, as well as form 3 from a public middle school in Banting, Selangor Darul Ehsan. Among them, 2 students were chosen from each form (form 1, 2, 3) and will be called to answer the research interview in a special room which the data can be recorded and kept at safe.

Before the students answer the research question by interview that will be conducted by the interviewer, the researcher will conduct a short briefing and talk on the procedure of interviewing. This talk and briefing will touch on explanation of the researcher research objective and what this interview will mostly talk about. The brief talk will be held around 10 minutes at most. The interview will be held on working weekdays during school time where most of the students will be at school for their class, after their session has finished, so that the class will not be disturbed by the interview.

The time needed for this interview to be completed will be different among students, and might have around 20 to 30 minutes of conduct due to the questions. The interview session will be conducted face to face by the researcher himself and none other people will disturb the interview. This is to protect the confidentiality of the data and the confidentiality of the respondents. This is also done to ensure that the data collected from the respondents is pure, original and never be influenced by other people. This is also to make sure that the data collected from the students are valid and any problems and question arise from the respondents(students) could be solved on the spot. The interview will finish after the respondents completed the interview by answering the entire research interview questionnaire.

The questionnaire that be held consist of 12 questions that consist of open-ended questions relating to outdoor education/learning for the students to reveal/show the basic factors of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). The 6 students will be served with a set of twelve questions. For question 1 until 4, it is basic question to make sure that the respondents (students) are comfortable with the research interview questions. From question five until nine, the interview will be ask specifically about the student commitments and communication for learning in outdoor setting. The follow up question were used to stimuli the respondents responses toward better answers. For the last two questions, the question will be an open ended questionnaire so that the interview session can be finish and the interviewer will get critical information from the respondents’ viewpoints.

The questionnaires that been conducted as interview also consist of one additional question that try to understand and to ask respondents to share how the taking part in this outdoor education will affect other outdoor activities and nature related programmes for the students in the future days and how will the students behave in such programs. The interview questions also includes the additional comments and ideas about the past outdoor education involvements. The copy of questionnaire interview questions will be complied on the appendix. The respondents (students) have the option of quitting the interview if they want and not all questions will be required to be answered by the respondents.

3.5 DATA ANALYSIS

Data will be collected in term of interview session. Data that has been recorded from the respondents (students) group session will be transcribed. Data collected from the interview session will be organized to the specific area of student communication and commitment based on the Self-Determination Theoretical (SDT) outline. All of the information from the interview will be analysed to provide answer to the stated research questions for this research.

The case was designed by using form of a vignette for this public middle school science class in Banting, Selangor that was led by the this study sub-research questions connected to proficiency, relatedness as well as autonomy.

For the extra information, an article will be designed in order to describe the middle school science class that participated in the out-of-doors learning and its practises. The case consists of four sections: competence, autonomy, relatedness (as parts of student commitment and communications when studying in an outdoor place), and an overall description of my class’s experiences. The article includes an explanation of the data as well as quotes collected from the respondents (students) (Yin, 2005). No student (respondents) names will be mentioned in the study as well as in the data analysis.

3.6 SUMMARY

As conclusion, this chapter shows the Research Methodology that consist of the Research Design, Population, Sample, Research Instruments, Data Collection, Procedure for Data Analyses and Summary. The research being conducted as an interview made to 6 respondents students from form 1, 2 as well as from form 3 students. at the end of the interview, we will see that this study is valuable because the investigator were clarified detail and analyze information to the importance and benefits of outdoor learning in secondary school in Banting, Selangor .

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Focus Group Protocol

Thank you for participating in the outdoor lessons related to this research study and this focus group. This session will be audio-recorded so that a transcript of your answers can be created and analysed.

1. How did you like having science class outside?

2. What did you learn about during the outdoor lessons?

3. What did you like about having class outside?

4. What did you not like about having class outside?

5. How did learning in an outdoor setting affect the way you approached learning and the lesson activities (competence)?

Follow up questions:

What obstacles did you face?

What prevented your learning?

What enhanced your learning?

Did the outdoor setting make the lesson activities feel easier or more difficult in any way?

6. How did learning in an outdoor setting affect your confidence to approach the activity (competence)?

Follow up questions:

Describe the way you felt when learning outside.

Was it easy to say focused and complete your learning tasks?

How was your focus on your work and learning different compared to learning inside?

7. Why was the activity you were completing important (relatedness)?

Follow up questions:

What was the purpose of what you were learning about?

Were the activities you completed outside meaningful? How?

8. Did learning outdoors change the importance of the activity for you (relatedness)?

Follow up questions:

Did you take the activity more seriously because you were outside?

What were the obstacles to completing the outdoor activities?

9. How did learning outdoors affect your ability to do the work without a lot of help from the teacher (autonomy)?

Follow up Questions:

Did you feel more confident? How?

Can you give a specific example?

10. How did learning outdoors affect the level of freedom you felt in choosing or working through the activities compared to indoor learning activities (autonomy)?

Follow up questions:

Did learning outdoors make you feel more or less free to approach the activities in different ways compared to fellow classmates?

Do you think there was one correct way to complete the activities?

11. Would you like your science teachers to use the outdoors in the future?

Follow up:

In what ways?

Can you think of any specific activities that would be improved if they were completed outside?

12. Do you have any comments, concerns, or suggestions for teachers who use the outdoors as a classroom learning environment?

Thank you for participating. Your work will help to improve science teaching as well as that of other middle school science teachers.

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