Exploration of the Perception of Elementary and Secondary Pre-Service Teachers About “Novelty Space” in Learning in Geological Field Trip — A Secondary Publication

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of novelty space among pre-service elementary and secondary earth science teachers. We conducted a survey to explore the perceptions of 38 pre-service elementary school teachers at the National University of Education and 31 pre-service secondary earth science teachers at the Department of Earth Science Education at B University. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants, including three pre-service elementary teachers and nine pre-service secondary science teachers. In addition to the elements of novelty space, prior knowledge (cognition), prior outdoor learning experience (psychology), familiarity (geography) with outdoor field learning, and social and technical elements were added. When classified based on elementary and secondary levels, there were statistically significant differences in cognitive, psychological, geographic, and social areas for the elements of novelty space. Statistical differences indicated that the experience or capital related to outdoor learning may have resulted from more pre-service secondary earth science teachers than pre-service elementary teachers. In additional interviews, both elementary and secondary pre-service teachers reported that competencies in the technical domain would be emphasized in the future owing to the necessity and the technical development of virtual-reality-based outdoor field learning programs. This study emphasizes the academic significance of novelty space that should be considered to conduct geological field learning for elementary and secondary earth science pre-service teachers while considering the current post-pandemic educational context.