CHAPTER 1

1.0 Introduction

This Chapter addresses the study’s background, statement of the problem followed by the study objectives, and the study questions.

The Chapter also focuses on the limitations and the delimitations of the study, assumptions of the research, and finalizes the definitions of operational terms.

• Background of the study

The increasing school enrollment and student interest in learning from the best kind of environment have generated much research interest to put into use by private individuals, missions, communities, or government properties, an environment that will stimulate and enhance students’ academic achievement.

An environment is a place where a child functions, including the home, the school, the peer group, and the classroom. The child’s upbringing’s totality fits their spiritual life, basic needs, social needs, and psychological needs. It is defined not only to mean the place in which the child lives (physical) but also the people who they become in contrast with (social) (Akem 2008).

Gagne (1997) states that the child’s environment includes a host of structures such as buildings, furniture equipment, teachers, the peer group, and other people involved in the development of a child. Booeh and Okely (2005) looked at the school environment as the physical environment (e.g., facilities and equipment), school policies, e.g., time allocated for biological and health, educational sports and school practices including P.E and sports, barriers to participation, and strategies to promote participation. This definition encapsulates components of the Health-promoting school model (NHMRC 1966).

Nangwa (1990) gave the school environment characteristics to include school buildings, classrooms, furniture, playgrounds, sporting facilities, laboratories, libraries, and equipment, which aid the teachers in the effective delivery of lessons.

• Statement of the Problem

Learning ought to be supported in class and outdoor activities contributing to structuring knowledge. Learning requires a lot of work and activities (South African Journal, 2017).

According to (m. Harvey 1998), the use of an outdoor environment simulates learners and offers them a chance to think about what they have done with their friends, teachers, and parents. The outdoor environment has been ignored by many, and only a few teachers use them in teaching and learning.

Environmental education has taken many different forms and included a variety of teaching strategies. At the elementary school level, environmental education is often limited to one or two-week units approximately each day. Most ecological education for k-12 students occurs in the classroom, while teachers, curriculum designers, and researchers often regret the outdoor learning setting (Orton and Houston, 19994)

• Study Objective

The following objectives guided the study;

1. To examine the extent to which the use of the outdoor environment influences science subjects’ performance in secondary schools.
2. To find out other psychological benefits of using the outdoor environment to all students.

• To examine how well the school can be modified to create a productive learning environment for the students.
  • Research Questions

1. To what extent does the use of the outdoor environment influence academic performance?
2. What are the psychological advantages of using the outdoor environment in a learning set-up?

• How well can science teachers use the immediate environment in teaching science subjects?
  • Significance of the Study

This study helps parents, educators, and school administrators reflect upon various factors that help students achieve their academic goals. They can investigate the possibility of introducing these factors to their school, which may consequently lead to enhancing student educational outcomes in school.

The study should be significant because the findings will simulate parents, school managers, teachers, students, and social awareness on the Importance of a conducive learning environment.  This will also help school administrators and curriculum planners develop strategies that would reduce the low learning environment’s adverse effects on students’ academic achievement in secondary schools.

The study will also be of significance to the students since they will create conducive environments to enhance their performances.

Finally, the study’s findings will act as a reference point to the other interested scholars interested in this area of research.

• Limitations and Delimitations of the study

Rules of the course include;

• Different schools are located in various places, so we don’t expect to find the same physical environment.

Delimitations of the study include;

• The study will delimit itself to the three objectives stated above.
• The study also delimits itself by concentrating on the outdoor learning environment only instead of various learning environments like a classroom.
• The study’s scope was limited to secondary schools within Meru County and was conducted majorly on the science subjects.
  • Assumptions of the study

The research is carried out with the basic assumption that any experimental study on the relation between learning and environment is recorded. The information can be available when required.

Another assumption is that the respondents will be willing to give information (including the most sensitive one) without any bias and subjectively compromise the results.

Finally, the research has the assumption that the impact of the outdoor environment in secondary school is closely tied to academic performance.

• Definition of Operational Terms

Environment- Means the surrounding. It includes natural, cultural, and even social climate.

The outdoor learning environment refers to the available resources within the learning environment for educational use.

CHAPTER II

2.1 Introduction

This chapter reviews theoretically the relevant literature guided by the research objectives. The Chapter outlines the impact of using the outdoor environment in learner performances. Literature under the various subtopics as directed by the three goals and a conceptual framework has been included to show the relationship between independent and dependent variables.

2.2 The Concept of the Use of Outdoor environment in Kenya

(Mwangi .P N 2014) ascertained that the use of modern outdoor Experiential education covered three domains of the self, other people, and the natural world. It was also capable of helping the military police teach the outdoor survival skills to other people, enhance their skills in problem-solving, enhance teamwork, and minimize recidivism among such personnel.

All students in Kenya had the opportunity to access secondary schools with physical environments, a preserve for European children (Abagi and Ogachi, 2014). UNESCO argues that learning environments must be safe and intellectually stimulating. They must have a pedagogy based on a learner-centered approach and democratic values and practices in the teaching and learning interaction.

There is, therefore, a need for the government to ensure that environmental education (E E) is absorbed within the curriculum to ensure all students access it despite the teacher’s different opinions based on it.

2.3 The influence of using Outdoor environment on Performances of students in secondary schools

Environmental education has taken many different forms and included a variety of teaching strategies. The outdoor is a useful setting to teach students about environmental issues. As societal institutions, schools can influence behavior, change attitudes, and help students learn about topics that will enhance their abilities to make decisions. Learning ought to be supported by both in-class activities and outdoor activities contributing to securing knowledge, especially with the science subjects majorly Biology and Chemistry.

According to (Yildrim), the outdoor environment’s utilization allows children to learn through practice and experience and interact with what they know directly.

Science subjects’ interaction with the environment puts a student in a better position to absorb, analyze, and interpret what has been taught, primarily where reports are required to learn what has been known.

2.4 The influence of school physical activities on Academic achievement of Secondary school students.

School facilities have been observed as a potent factor in education. The Importance of teaching and learning to provide adequate instructional facilities for education cannot be over-emphasized. The statement “teaching is inseparable from learning but learning is not separable from teaching” is that teachers teach to make them learn, but students can learn without the teacher (Akonde 1995).

According to UNESCO, well-designed schools can positively affect learning by focusing on location, building materials, size of the classroom, furniture, lighting, temperature, ventilation, noise level, sanitation, and inclusion of auxiliary facilities. Beyond the necessary school infrastructure, the built environment can also become powerful support for learning by emphasizing literacy, rich displays, and elements that reinforce scientific and mathematical skills (UNESCO, 2018).

Also, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) states that environmental education is vital in imparting an inherent respect for nature and enhancing public environmental awareness. It also emphasizes the role of Environmental learning in safeguarding future global developments of societal quality of life by protecting the environment, eradicating poverty, depreciation, and Sustainable Development. (UNESCO, 2014).

2.5 The Importance and advantages of using the outdoor environment over the indoor.

According to Science, direct on improving the physical classroom environment (2013), not all teachers, however, frequently provided users with the outdoor climate due to lack of knowledge of its relevance and Importance.

(Emily Marchant, Charlotte T, Sinaard Brophy, 2019) States that education is not all about lessons within the four walls of a classroom. The outdoor environment encourages skills such as problem-solving and negotiating risks, which are essential for child development. Children (Students) who get to experience an outdoor learning environment tend to be more attentive and therefore have a better recollection of the shared information. Consistent exposure to nature also reduces stress and anxiety, helps elevate moods, and helps with emotions.

Outdoor environments naturally inspire children to be more physically active. In outdoor settings, children are more motivated to work together in groups, improving their social skills. They learn to manage conflicts, communicate and cooperate with their peers in a more effective manner (Gabriela Bento and Gisela Dias, 2016)

(Sara Jose, Patricia G. Patrick, and Christine Musely, 2016) denotes that the experiential learning approach could provide a useful model for informal programmed design and formal classroom activities related to field activities.

For these and many other reasons, therefore, there is a need for Environmental education to be embedded in teacher education and school management training. These essential elements are not related to the background noise of educational discourse. The government and the school stakeholders should also encourage the use of the outdoor environment in learning by providing adequate physical facilities that encourage innovation and boost learners’ academic achievement in secondary schools.

2.6 Theoretical Review

2.6.1 The Constructivist Theory

The Constructivist would view posits that “learning is an active process.” The learner is an informative constructor. People actively construct or create their representation of objective reality. The Constructivist theory contends that the mind is not an empty seat and that the learning is a process of building knowledge rather than acquiring it (Boyle, 1994). New information is linked to prior experience; thus, mental representation is subjective congruities in a reaction to didactic approaches such as programmed instructions rather than just acquiring knowledge; learning is achieved through construction.

Learning is constructed through personal experiences and the hypothesis of the environment. Each person has a different interpretation and construction of the knowledge process. This theory views learning as the active process of drawing meaning from experience

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This Chapter focuses on the research methods used in the study. It entails a research design, the target population, and the sample size, the procedure followed in the data collection, the instruments used, validity and reliability, data presentation, and analysis.

3.2 Research design

A research design is a set of methods and procedures used to collect and analyze measures of the variables specified in the problem design. This study will employ a descriptive survey research design. According to Check and Scolt, 2012, survey research refers to collecting information from a sample of individuals through their responses to questions. Survey research allows for various methods to recruit participants, collect data, and utilize multiple instrumentations; therefore, it will best apply in the study.

3.3 Study Population

According to Polie and Hungler (1999), population refers to the aggregate or totality of all the objects, subjects members that agree to a set of specifications. The study population in this study will constitute of science teachers in each sample school and the students taking Biology and chemistry as part of their core subjects in their Secondary Education.

3.4 Study locale

The study Was carried out in Meru county within the Tigania constituency. The area has a total of 22 secondary schools in which both chemistry and biology are taught. The researcher targets ten schools due to their inconsistency in their results for the past three years in science subjects.

3.5 Sample Size and Sample Design

A sample is a part of the target population that has been procedurally selected to represent the total population. The model consists of both teachers and students within the sampled schools to obtain the total population. The sample population should have at least had an accurate analysis (Okombo 2012).

According to Brink and Wood (1998), a descriptive survey design may be utilized to study characteristics in a population to investigate a research problem’s probable solution. Out of the 15 schools, five were used for the pilot study, and the sample size will be obtained from the remaining 10. Five teachers will be surveyed using the outdoor environment in teaching and learning from each school. Ten students, the majority form 3 and 4 students, will be used for each school study.

Population                                                       size

Teachers                                                          50

Students                                                           100

Totals                                                               150

S=NZ²PQ

e²(n-1)+ Z²PQ

3.6 Data collection instruments

The questionnaires were the primary data collection instrument. The questionnaires are needed to help the researcher collect the data in knowledge, opinions, and respondents’ attitudes. The questionnaire is suited for this study because it is practical, and it was used to collect data from a large group of people within a short time in a relatively cost-effective manner. The questionnaires were provided to both teachers and students.

3.7 Piloting

Out of the 15 schools from the study locale, 15 were selected for the pilot study before data collection. During this piloting, the assumption is that the experience in the response of the teachers and students from each school would be quite similar to the others. It also enabled the researcher to familiarize themself with the instruments.

3.7.1 Validity of the research

Validity is a measure of how well a test measures what it is supposed to measure. It is the degree to which the results that will be obtained represent the phenomenon. The researcher arranged appropriate tools for the study for the course.

3.7.2 Reliability.

Reliability is defined as measuring the degree to which a researcher’s instrument yields consistent results after repeated trials. Shanghverzy 1997 defines reliability as the consistency of measurement and frequency using the test-retest reliability method.

3.8 Data collection Techniques

Data collection tools were piloted, and several suggestions were made before finalizing the questionnaire. The study utilized self-administered questionaries by the researcher. A research permit was obtained from the respective school administrators and principals. The researcher visited the sampled respondents and administered the questionnaire to them. Appointments to the sampled schools were arranged before the visits to avoid any inconveniences to the respondents.

3.9 Data Analysis techniques

Data analysis refers to the process of bringing order and meaning to raw data collected. According to Ose and Oren, data analysis entails separating data into consistency parts or elements or examining data to distinguish its components part or aspects in 2008.   In this study, the techniques used were quantitative, where the quantitative data was obtained from the respondent using the open-minded questionnaire as the primary instruments will be coded to facilitate analysis.

3.10 Ethical Considerations

All the stakeholders were informed before the study to avoid suspicions and resistance from the respondents, especially students. Consent was sought from the respondents whose participation in this study was supposed to be voluntary. The privacy and dignity of the respondents will be considered during the research. Names of the respondents will not be exposed, and codes will be used instead.

CHAPTER IV

DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION

• Introduction

The Chapter focuses on the questionnaire return rate, demographic information of the respondents, data presentation, interpretation, and discussion of findings concerning the

• Response Rate

• Demographic Information of Respondents

References

1. Bilton, H (2010) Outdoor Learning in the early years. Third Edition. Oxon; Routledge.
2. Haggard E 2010.making use of nature in an outdoor preschool; classroom and fairyland.