Learning Without Walls: A Systematic Review of Evaluation Approaches and Educational Outcomes in Chemistry and Science Field Trip Research

Field trips in chemistry and science education provide students with opportunities to learn beyond the classroom walls. The aim of this systematic review was to identify the evaluation approaches used to investigate field trips in chemistry and science education and to examine them both quantitatively and qualitatively. The systematic review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, with predefined eligibility criteria and reasons for exclusion reported in the PRISMA flow diagram. The results revealed a wide variety of evaluation approaches used to investigate outdoor field trips in chemistry and science education, including questionnaires, pre-tests/post-tests, interviews, drawings, mind maps, concept maps, discussions, notes, observations, videos and photographs, portfolios, journals and diaries, reports, student conversations, audio recordings, Q methodology, and other non-traditional approaches. Although outdoor science field trips are studied worldwide, research has predominantly focused on environmental education, while only a small number of studies have examined field trips in chemistry education.