Enhancing Enjoyable Learning in Geography Education through Field Trips to Wetland Ecosystems: A Mixed-Method Study
Enhancing Enjoyable Learning in Geography Education through Field Trips to Wetland Ecosystems: A Mixed-Method Study

Summary/Abstract: Background/purpose. Students' emotional condition plays a crucial role in forming enjoyable learning in geography. One way to modify students' emotions is through field trips to sites with diverse geographical aspects. This study aims to identify potential wetland field trip locations for geography learning in higher education and assess students' enjoyable learning through field trips at these locations. Materials/methods. This research uses a mixed-method sequential explanatory design approach. The first stage collects quantitative data, including the geographical aspect scores of four wetland locations in South Sumatra, Indonesia, and the enjoyable learning scores of 35 students during their field trips. The second stage gathers qualitative data through student interviews to explore emotional conditions based on participation during the field trip. Instruments used are observation sheets to assess the potential of the field trip location and the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-short version (AEQ-S) to assess students' enjoyable learning. Results. The results show that based on observations, three locations have high potential in physical geography, while one location has high potential in human geography. AEQ-S scores show the dominance of positive emotions, with an average score of 81, reflecting a high level of enjoyable learning. Interviews reveal that active students felt happier and prouder, while passive students experienced anxiety about their lack of participation in field trips. Conclusion. Field trips to wetland ecosystems have been proven to enhance learning and contribute to positive emotional experiences. These findings suggest that they should be incorporated into university geography curricula, especially in areas with similar ecosystems.

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