Impact of place based education as teaching pedagogies for active engagement of sixth grade students in learning science

Abstract

To enable learning to the fullest for whole development of children, theories stated that the children should be actively engaged during the learning process. However, Bhutanese classrooms predominately use traditional methods of teaching within the four walls. Like any other country, Bhutan's educational system gears up to use different teaching strategies to maximize students' engagement for a better academic score. The purpose of this study was to improve the learners' engagement in learning by using place-based education approaches as teaching methods. The study further delved into which of the engagement types are well catered by PBE approaches for better learning of science. This study was carried out with 27 class IV students from Bjimthangkha Primary School, Wangdue District, Western Bhutan. The data for both the baseline and post-intervention periods were gathered using closed format survey questionnaires and observations. The application of intervention strategies lasted for three consecutive weeks. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that students' engagement in learning science has improved after employing place-based education as a teaching approach. Subsequently, the academic learning score in science has improved.