Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
7.2.4
Causes for the Unpopularity of Field Research
Inui (
1990
) pointed out seven factors why the fi eld research implementation rate
was low: (1) Schools were increasingly concerned with accident prevention; (2)
there were obstacles from specifi c environment factors around the school; (3) a lack
of time for research implementation, because of an overcrowded curriculum and
time allocated to university entrance examination preparation; (4) geography
became an elective subject; (5) the length of time required to prepare for fi eld
research; (6) lack of a budget for travel expenses; and (7) a lack of teacher leader-
ship. These factors vary by school. However, the fact that elementary school teach-
ers are not suffi ciently acquainted with the knowledge and methods of fi eld research,
and that junior high and senior high school teachers are too busy to arrange suffi -
cient time for preparation and implementation of such research, are considered key
reasons for a paucity of research in schools.
A number of factors explain teachers' failure to conduct fi eld research. There is
low teacher motivation for its implementation, although other factors such as insti-
tutional problems and lack of a supportive environment for fi eld research play a
role. Therefore, the fi rst thing we must do to enhance the implementation rate is to
help teachers understand the signifi cance of fi eld research. That is, we must answer
basic questions such as “why is it necessary to introduce fi eld research in the geog-
raphy class?” and “what are the educational effects of fi eld research that cannot be
acquired in an in-class lecture?” To this end, the author discusses the signifi cance of
fi eld research in the study of geography in the next section.
7.3
Signifi cance of Field Research
Many researchers have pointed out the signifi cance of fi eld research in geography
education (e.g., Shinohara
2000
; Takeuchi
2002
; Akimoto
2003
; Inui
2009
). Based
on these studies, here the author advocates fi ve factors that represent the value of
fi eld research.
First, students are likely to learn new characteristics of a local area through fi eld
research, which may enhance their motivation to learn geography. In such research,
the subject of investigation is a “local area,” i.e., the students' daily living space.
Students often recognize this area as an ordinary, familiar, and mundane place. This
attitude is likely to diminish their drive to learn (Shimura
2009
). However, many
discoveries and tasks that may be missed in their daily lives are often hidden in their
living areas. As Ida (
2000
) points out, children are really impressed to learn that
occurrences in a distant country can also be found in their local region. Such an unex-
pected fi nding, uncovered through fi eld survey, motivates students to learn more
about geography. Thus, fi eld research is usually required at the start of a geography
course so that students discover via experiential learning.