CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Place based education, or PBE is “an approach to teaching and learning that

connect learning to the local,” breaking down barrier between schools and their

communities. It has the capacity to improve student learning and engagement while

simultaneously linking students to their communities and natural environments. By

anchoring learning in a student’s sense of place, PBE overcomes academic isolation and

forges relationships between schools, community partners, and the local environment.

When connections between learning and place are nurtured learning becomes relevant

and meaningful to students’ lives. PBE programs, “students do not need to ask, ‘When

will I ever need to know this?’ They discover the answer to that question as they work on

tasks to increase their knowledge that benefit other.” When community assets and needs

shape learning students are empowered to become actively engaged citizens. The students

are often overlooked when assessing the impact of place based education.

Place-based education is an approach to curriculum development and instruction

that directs students’ attention to local culture, phenomena, and issues as the basis for at

least some of the learning they encounter in school. It is also referred to as place- and

community-based education or place-conscious learning. In addition to preparing

students academically, teachers who adopt this approach present learning as intimately

tied to environmental stewardship and community development, two central concerns of

Education for Sustainability. They aim to cultivate in the young the desire and ability to
become involved citizens committed to enhancing the welfare of both the human and

more-than-human communities of which they are a part. At the heart of place-based

education is the belief that children of any age are capable of making significant

contributions to the lives of others, and that as they do so, their desire to learn and belief

in their own capacity to be change agents increase. When place-based education is

effectively implemented, both students and communities benefit, and their teachers often

encounter a renewed sense of professional and civic satisfaction.

Research indicates that the implementation of PBE leads to increased academic

achievement and test scores, yet direct interviews and interactions with the students

themselves rarely address these claims. Studies frequently use both quantitative and

qualitative data to demonstrate teachers’ perceptions of PBE.

Quantifying student engagement by analyzing disciplinary and student attendance

has shown the students exposure to “environment as an integrating context” curricula”

demonstrate better behavior, attendance, and attitudes than traditional students.” This

evidence, however, represents the teachers’ perceptions of students’ experiences instead

of the students’ perception of their own experiences. While teachers’ perceptions are

important,…they recognize the benefits of place-based education. In some instances, like

the themes of community and interest, student responses aligned with teachers’ identified

themes. In other instances, such as the theme of teamwork, this was not the case.

Compared to students, teachers identified teamwork as a benefit much more often.

Students, on the other hand, gaining confidence, become aware of career options, and

having fun. There is a growing appreciation for the significance of students’ sense of

place in relation to their experience with schooling. Therefore, it has been demonstrated
that place-based education has the potential to positively impact many aspects of student

learning and can additionally produce positive outcomes for local communities and the

environment. Literature also suggests that exposure to place-based outdoor experiences in

childhood can greatly influence environmental attitudes later in life.

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework for the current study was derived from research on

efficacy (Van Aalderen-Smeets, et al., 2012; Osborn, Simon and Collins, 2003; Jones and

Carter, 2007; Bandura, 2000). Place-based methodology was used as the filter through

which teacher efficacy was observed. The early theoretical justifications for educational

methodologies that are the predecessors of place-based learning were put in place within

educational research beginning in the mid-20th century and have continued as a

professional practice into the 21st century (Dewey, 1938; Carson, 1962; Knapp, 2005). A

seminal theory of teacher efficacy by Bandura (2000) contended that a person’s behavior

could be based on the belief that such behaviors result in particular outcomes (outcome

expectancy). Those outcomes also guide belief in a person’s ability to enact such

behaviors (self-efficacy). Regarding behaviors such as the implementation of place based

methods, teachers believe they can and are enacting best practices. However, a

discrepancy between the theoretical, expected components and the observations of

classroom practices suggested this was not occurring (Mintzes, 1989; Jones & Carter,

2007). Belief and Practice Mismatch.

Conceptual Framework

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

 It boosts student achievement

and improves environmental,
social, and economic vitality.
 Ensuring mastery of high
Place Based Education academic
 Giving students “voice and
choice” in determining what,
how, when and where they
learn.

Figure 1. Research Paradigm

Statement of the Problem

This review examines place-based education in the public and private, k-12

classroom setting.

1. What is the respondent’s demographic people in terms of;

a. Age

b. Sex/Gender

2. How important for the students to have a good and working relationship within the

community?

3. How does the student cope up to the place-based education?

4. Why do you think we should know the culture that we have?

5. Do you think knowledge and culture give benefits among each other?

Significance of the Study

Place based education is not just about visiting; it is about investigating,

participating, and contributing. It benefits school by building school community

connections that results in partnerships and resources. In return, school communities

contribute to social impact in several ways:

Builds impact dispositions: With extended and authentic challenges, PBE is uniquely

efficient approach to build student agency as well as design and entrepreneurial skills.
Values contribution: Rather than a focus on preparing for future opportunity, place-

based experiences value community contributions today.

Develops appreciation: Every place has something to offer and something to teach.

Investigating places builds an appreciation for roots and connections making it more

likely that young people will make sustained local contributions.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

This study will be at Academia de San Ignacio de Loyola. The respondents of this

study are the selected Junior High School Students.

The study will be during the first semester of the S.Y 2019-2020. The researchers

will prepare a survey-questionnaire that will be given to a selected Junior High School

students from the said school.

Hypothesis

There is no significant relationship between place based education and

engagement from the student perspective.

Definition of Terms

Place-based Education- Place-based education (PBE) immerses students in local heritage,

cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences, using these as a foundation for the

study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the

curriculum. PBE emphasizes learning through participation in service projects for the

local school and/or community.

Academic Isolation- is the feeling of being cut off from social network, friends, and

family. There are various factors that contribute to academic isolation. These factors

include the tendency of academics to work long hours, spend time alone reading and

writing, and have niche interests.

 CHAPTER II

BACKGROUND

Review of Related Literature and Studies

This chapter consist of review of related literature and studies that would justify

the result of study.

Related Literature

Sobel (2005) declares PBE is taking root in urban and rural, northern and

southern, well-to-do and rough-around-the-edges schools and communities across the

country (p. 1). A variety of research studies show this to be true. A corollary to this is the

study by Powers (2004) that analyzes the effects of four PBE programs on teachers,

students, schools, and communities. Findings include a report from an aid of a 5th grade

class who works with a boy with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. She said, “He is

not well integrated with the class, but he thrives when they go outdoors to learn. He can

do the math piece when it’s applied, but not as part of the regular class learning” (p. 27).

Another teacher reported that sustainability-related curriculum has “generated life from

some kids that we’ve never seen…I see teams of kids doing stuff independently that

they’ve never done.” (p. 28).

Jamestown New York’s Roger Tory Peterson Institute sparked a regional revival

in K12 nature studies, which attracted attention from educators across America. The

Rural Trust Project began in 1993, under the auspices of “The Selborne Project”. At its
inception, the project requested teams of middle school teachers to explore one square

kilometer surrounding a particular school. Participants enroll in a five-day summer

workshop where they work on their observation skills that they will impart on their

students in intense interdisciplinary units, usually six to eight weeks long. The study

takes at their immediate schoolyard and the surrounding land, with the goal of learning

about the natural world and human systems, and how they interact (Null, 2001, p. 2).

In the late 1990s, the program name changed to “Teaming with Nature” and

expanded to reach all grade levels. Curriculum has been designed by participating

teachers and is available to educators who participate in the Institute’s programs.

Children learn how to draw and identify local trees, and also practice drawing and

identifying regional architecture. As they deepen their appreciation of the area’s natural

surroundings, they also develop an appreciation for its architectural heritage, discovering

that “newer” is not always “better”. The project spans science, math, and English-

language arts. Students create and analyze surveys, use tools to measure the one square

kilometer, write formal business letters, and develop social skills by interacting with

business operators and government officials. They often give back to the community by

engaging in community-service projects. (Null, 2001, p. 4

And yet another fine example of place-based education in action is the Adopt-A-

Trout program in Montana. Students in rural Montana schools were introduced to

fisheries research with the Adopt-A-Trout educational program. The goal of the program

was to enhance the understanding and conservation for native fish in the West.

Schmetterling (2002) postulates the teachers found the program outstanding because it

used a cross curricular approach by including math, science, geography, arts and
technology (p. 10). Additionally, real life experiences helped students relate to the natural

community of where they reside and gave them an appreciation of the uniqueness of the

natural resources in the area.

Middle school students work with the local Audubon Society chapter during a

PBE unit focused on National Audubon Society’s Puffin Project. Fore (2005), explains

that in late winter the curriculum shifts from the environment to birds and mammals. The

middle school teacher points out that with the assistance of the local Audubon Society

chapter and after researching indigenous species, the Atlantic puffin was chosen as an

introduction and main theme of study. In the beginning of the unit, students research

historical information regarding the drastic decline of the Atlantic puffin during the

1880s. Interdisciplinary connections are made with drawings or sculptures in art, fiction

or non-fiction writing, and estimating population projections in math class (p. 59).

Place-based Education: The Instructional Practice. Researchers regularly strive to

identify the factors that contribute to a teacher’s efficacy. These factors can be targeted in

teacher professional development to enhance beliefs that translate into best practice

behaviors. Scribner and Cole (1973) investigated issues associated with learning science

in formal settings. They concluded that “in school, science lays common sense to rest” (p.

556). However, place-based learning has been shown to enhance students cognitively,

affectively, and socially and provide for quality learning experiences. Researchers

illustrate that in conventional schools, learning is absent the normal context of students’

daily lives away from school (Gruenewald, 2003; Dewey, 1938; Knapp, 2005). Place

based learning sets the learning context and the physical context to complement one

another. To clarify this point Falk and Dierking (1997) state: Learning is the process of
applying knowledge and experience to new experiences; the effort is normally played out

within a physical context and is mediated in the actions of other individuals. In addition,

learning always involves some element of emotion and feeling (p. 216). The relationship

between teacher efficacy and professional development on place based learning is

examined here. Place-based education incorporates instructional theories and

methodologies promoting particular approaches that build teacher confidence in science

education.

Issues in Science Learning and Teaching

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS, 2011)

reports provide data on the mathematics and science achievement of U.S. students 18

relative to students in other countries. TIMSS data have been collected every 4 years

from 4th and 8th graders since 1995. TIMSS were administered to students at grade 12 in

1995 and 2008. In the most recent TIMSS (2011), more than 20,000 students in 1.000

schools in the United States and 60 other countries participated at grades 4 and 8.

Approximately 500,000 other students around the world took this assessment in the

spring of 2011. What makes this report significant to this dissertation is its emphasis on

teacher efficacy. Data about teacher participation in professional development was self-

reported by teachers in response to the query about preparedness to teach science topics,

and confidence in teaching science (TIMSS, 2011, p. 308) relative to answering student

questions, ability to provide challenging tasks and explaining science experiments.

Additionally, information regarding the teachers’ ability to engage student interests and

relate lessons to students’ daily lives was collected. According to TIMSS, confidence in

teaching science, a key component of teacher efficacy and student achievement was a

factor in which 4th grade teachers in the United States were slightly below the

international average. Regarding their feeling prepared to teach science, teachers in the

United States (60%) were also below the international average (62%). On the other hand,

8th grade teachers in the United States rated themselves higher (84%) than the

international average (73%) on confidence to teach science. Of note, the TIMSS survey

reported higher student science achievement for teachers who had job satisfaction

compared to those teachers who were “somewhat” or “less than satisfied” (TIMSS, 2011,

p. 323). 19 The 2011 TIMSS study indicates that, in general, teachers in the United States

are less confident, participate in fewer professional development opportunities, and do

not feel well prepared to teach science relative to the international average. Teachers in

the United States also reported being less satisfied with their jobs. Alternatively, TIMSS

surveyed teachers’ ability to relate lessons to students’ daily lives. The international and

the United States averages for responses were nearly the same, 64% to 63%, indicating an

application to everyday lives. The measures of central tendency from the TIMSS survey

are interesting from the standpoint that there is an international interest in teacher

efficacy being self-reported despite some slight variation in the average values reported,

such as with the 8th grade teachers. The TIMSS study serves as a barometer by which to

examine student success as it is related to teacher efficacy and the role of professional

development. Place-based learning and methodology allow teachers to relate lessons to

the daily lives of students and foster more positive attitudes and authentic learning
(Gruenewald, 2003; Falk & Dierking, 1997; Dyment, 2005). This research suggests a

study such as the current study which is about teachers trained in quality PBE and teacher

efficacy.

Place-based Education as Best Practices for Teacher Efficacy. PBE has been

reviewed as a method for enhancing experience with the environment, as it adheres to the

constructivist approach and provides learning in classroom settings both within schools

and out-of-doors. This section summarizes the values of place-based education for

teacher efficacy and is an appropriate method for teacher development and

implementation. The professional development for this study focused on place-based 20

methods and included teachers who expressed an interest in PBE methodologies as best

practices. Current science education relies largely on constructivism, which emphasizes

the importance of connecting learning to prior knowledge and experience, and depends

on authentic problem-solving in real situations (Gruenewald, 2003). In constructivist

theory, students create meaning via their interaction with the world around them. In this

way, it is situated learning; interacting with the environment, both natural and cultural

(Brown, Collins & Duguid, 1989). Through such interactions, and the development of

meaning that occurs, students create explanations about the world in which they live. If

the new information agrees with the learner's current experience and information, the

meaning the learner makes is maintained. However, if it does not agree, the students’

understanding and meaning are in conflict. At this point, the student can reject the new

information or revise one’s understanding of it. In short, learners need abundant sensory

experiences with their external world and opportunities to verify information from new

experiences. For decades, research has illuminated (Dewey, 1938) the great disconnect
between what happens during a student’s in-class time and what happens in real life. The

learning in classrooms lacks authenticity much of the time, and for this reason, it is

difficult for students to apply their learning. Place-based education emphasizes authentic

learning, which has been referred to as meaning-making-with information, assimilation of

content from an integrated curriculum and practical problem solving. To this day,

elements of Dewey's philosophy (1938) of encouraging authentic, experiential learning

continue to thrive in place-based, pedagogical practices (Gruenewald, 2003; Knapp,

2005) which overcome the disconnect between children's experiences outside of school

21 and in-school learning. Place-based practices are evident when educators design the

curriculum around learners' interests and abilities and use local phenomena as a context

for learning. They are revealed when teachers engage learners in service to the

communities in which they live (Gruenewald, 2003; Knapp, 2005). Nature as the place

and context for learning has been shown to enhance people’s psychological well-being,

self-image, and self-satisfaction, cultural identity, and community pride, in addition to

environmental health and commitments to the environment (Nabhan and Trimble, 1994).

However, according to Louv (2005), there is a dearth of experience in the natural world,

leading to multiple emotional and cognitive issues such as poor performance on science

assessments, physical illness and obesity, and cognitive issues. There is growing evidence

of the need to teach science in ways that develop and integrate the types of learning

expressed by Dewey (1938) in a society described by Louv (2005). Researchers have

hypothesized about and collected evidence regarding the link between the setting in

which an experience takes place and the quality of the experience itself (Morag & Tal,

2012). Several have speculated regarding the effects of PBE on individual’s and groups’
engagement in community building and other relationships beyond learning (Woodhouse

and Knapp, 2000; Morag and Tal, 2012) in addition to positive impacts on teachers’

attitudes and efficacy (Dyment, 2005; Morag and Tal, 2012)