Field trips for sustainable transport education

Purpose Field trips can change students’ attitudes and improve their learning performance, but they have rarely been investigated in logistics education research. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings from field trips that were designed to increase students’ knowledge of sustainable transport as well as to change their attitudes and behavioral intentions. Design/methodology/approach A total of 104 logistics students participated in this longitudinal panel study. Non-parametric statistical tests were used to test for significant effects. Findings Field trips build students’ knowledge, improve their attitudes and increase their behavioral intentions to use sustainable transport modes in the short and in the long term. Gains in knowledge exceed the results expected from traditional learning theories. Gender and school type are important moderating variables. Gender did not play an important role for knowledge gains, but for attitude and behavioral intentions. Research limitations/implications More research is needed to generalize the findings to other populations and longitudinal panel studies are necessary to investigate a long-term effect of field trips. Practical implications Field trips are an effective means for successful knowledge transfer and are suitable to trigger attitudinal and behavioral changes. The involvement of practitioners and the hands-on experience ensure that students combine theoretical with practical knowledge. Originality/value This is the first longitudinal panel study that investigates the effects of logistics field trips, which were developed collaboratively by industry, educational and research institutions.

[1]  Roger Gorham,et al.  Sustainable urban transport: Four innovative directions , 2006 .

[2]  Farideh A. Farazmand,et al.  Experiential Learning: The Internship and Live-Case Study Relationship , 2012 .

[3]  H. Ebbinghaus.  Memory A Contribution Toexperimental Psychology , 1913 .

[4]  Jaap M. J. Murre,et al.  Replication and Analysis of Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve , 2015, PloS one.

[5]  O. Bak,et al.  Connecting industry and supply chain management education: exploring challenges faced in a SCM consultancy module , 2013 .

[6]  M. Behrendt,et al.  A Review of Research on School Field Trips and Their Value in Education. , 2014 .

[7]  Jc Jan Fransoo,et al.  TEACHING SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT THROUGH GLOBAL PROJECTS WITH GLOBAL PROJECT TEAMS , 2000 .

[8]  Julia Paxton.  A practical guide to incorporating service learning into development economics classes , 2015 .

[9]  P. Cronin,et al.  Undertaking a literature review: a step-by-step approach. , 2008, British journal of nursing.

[10]  Science centers and outdoor education centers provide valuable experience for pre-service teachers , 1993 .

[11]  Discovering OIL: the role of online international learning and international field trips in enhancing student engagement and performance , 2017 .

[12]  Donald Huisingh,et al.  A review of commitment and implementation of sustainable development in higher education: results from a worldwide survey , 2015 .

[13]  R. Baumgartner,et al.  Providing remote accessible field trips (RAFT): an evaluation study , 2007, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[14]  Michael F. Gorman,et al.  The University of Dayton Operations Management Capstone Course: Undergraduate Student Field Consulting Applies Theory to Practice , 2010, Interfaces.

[15]  Michael J. Gravier,et al.  An analysis of logistics pedagogical literature: Past and future trends in curriculum, content, and pedagogy , 2008 .

[16]  David F. Pyke,et al.  A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT , 2000 .

[17]  Kaisu Sammalisto,et al.  Connecting Competences and Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable Development in Higher Education: A Literature Review and Framework Proposal , 2017 .

[18]  D. Friess,et al.  Incorporating “virtual” and “real world” field trips into introductory geography modules , 2016 .

[19]  Jolie A. Mayer-Smith,et al.  Investigating the Impact of a Practicum Experience in an Aquarium on Pre‐service Teachers , 2006 .

[20]  L. Nadelson,et al.  Student Attitudes Toward and Recall of Outside Day: An Environmental Science Field Trip , 2012 .

[21]  Mieke Van Houtte,et al.  Why boys achieve less at school than girls: the difference between boys' and girls' academic culture , 2004 .

[22]  Yen-Chun Jim Wu,et al.  Contemporary logistics education: an international perspective , 2007 .

[23]  Chung-Piaw Teo,et al.  Gale-Shapley Stable Marriage Problem Revisited: Strategic Issues and Applications , 1999, IPCO.

[24]  William P. Millhiser,et al.  Matching supply with demand in supply chain management education , 2016 .

[25]  Peter G. LoPresti,et al.  An Electrical Engineering Summer Academy for Middle School and High School Students , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Education.

[26]  L. Leslie Gardner.  Teaching Teachers about Supply Chain Management to Influence Students’ Career and Education Choices , 2013 .

[27]  Christopher Ling,et al.  Pathways toward whole community transformation: a case study on the role of school engagement and environmental education , 2015, Environment, Development and Sustainability.

[28]  Rosa E. Rios,et al.  The moderating effect of gender in the adoption of mobile banking , 2010 .

[29]  G. Pearlson,et al.  The Moderating Effect of Gender on the Relation Between Expectancies and Gambling Frequency Among College Students , 2015, Journal of Gambling Studies.

[30]  Shao-Liang Zheng,et al.  Teaching Outside the Classroom: Field Trips in Crystallography Education for Chemistry Students , 2016 .

[31]  J. Dinwoodie,et al.  Seeing is believing: Developing research skills in international maritime students through authentic learning , 2012 .

[32]  Stanislav E. Shmelev,et al.  Dynamic multidimensional assessment of sustainability at the macro level: The case of Austria , 2009 .

[33]  Partha Priya Datta,et al.  Supply network resilience: a systematic literature review and future research , 2017 .

[34]  Franklin Farell.  Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area: Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system , 2014 .

[35]  Wayne J. Krepel,et al.  Field Trips: A Guide for Planning and Conducting Educational Experiences. Analysis and Action Series. , 1981 .

[36]  M. Wagner.  The link of environmental and economic performance: Drivers and limitations of sustainability integration , 2015 .

[37]  Rodrigo Lozano,et al.  Incorporation and institutionalization of SD into universities: breaking through barriers to change , 2006 .

[38]  Nir Orion,et al.  A Model for the Development and Implementation of Field Trips as an Integral Part of the Science Curriculum. , 1993 .

[39]  Leo Simpson,et al.  The Use of Student Consulting Projects as an Active Learning Pedagogy: A Case Study in a Production/Operations Management Course , 2008 .

[40]  Ulrich Riegel,et al.  Why leave the classroom? How field trips to the church affect cognitive learning outcomes , 2016 .

[41]  D. Halpern,et al.  Applying the Science of Learning to the University and Beyond: Teaching for Long-Term Retention and Transfer , 2003 .

[43]  Onur Çalişkan,et al.  Virtual field trips in education of earth and environmental sciences , 2011 .

[44]  Peter A. Todd,et al.  Assessing IT usage: the role of prior experience , 1995 .

[45]  Scott B. Keller,et al.  The Future of Logistics Education , 2011 .

[46]  More Than Just a Day Away from School: Planning a Great Science Field Trip , 2007 .

[47]  Alexander Trautrims,et al.  Preparing business students for workplace reality--using global virtual teams in logistics and SCM education , 2016 .

[48]  Frederic B. Kraft,et al.  Issues on the Use of “Client” Projects in Marketing Education , 1991 .

[49]  N. Sağlam,et al.  Investigating the effects of gender and school type on students’ learning orientations , 2010 .

[50]  J. J. Trip,et al.  Is a new applied transportation research field emerging?--A review of intermodal rail-truck freight transport literature , 2004 .

[51]  S. Hurst.  Use of “virtual” field trips in teaching introductory geology , 1998 .

[52]  Doug Knapp,et al.  An Elementary School Environmental Education Field Trip: Long-Term Effects on Ecological and Environmental Knowledge and Attitude Development , 2007 .

[53]  M. King,et al.  Social desirability bias: A neglected aspect of validity testing , 2000 .

[54]  Patricia J. Daugherty,et al.  MAXIMIZING THE HUMAN CAPITAL EQUATION IN LOGISTICS: EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS , 2004 .

[55]  Jessica Strolin-Goltzman,et al.  The Moderating Effect of School Type on the Relationship between School-Based Health Centers and the Learning Environment , 2012, Social work in public health.

[56]  Anol Bhattacherjee,et al.  Understanding Changes in Belief and Attitude Toward Information Technology Usage: A Theoretical Model and Longitudinal Test , 2004, MIS Q..

[57]  D. Seiler.  Age and Learning Style in the Adult Learner , 2012 .

[58]  S. Siegel,et al.  Nonparametric Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences , 2022, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Research Design.

[59]  J. Falk,et al.  School Field Trips: Assessing Their Long-Term Impact , 1997 .

[60]  S. Fawcett,et al.  A longitudinal view of supply chain education : Assessing the challenge of retaining relevance in today's dynamic marketplace , 2014 .

[61]  Keith Goffin,et al.  Operations management teaching on European MBA programmes , 1998 .

[62]  Tali Tal,et al.  Reflective Practice as a Means for Preparing to Teach Outdoors in an Ecological Garden , 2009 .

[63]  E. Çolak,et al.  Learning Approaches of Vocational High School Students: Grade Level and School Type Influences☆ , 2014 .

[64]  E. Maccoby,et al.  The Psychology of Sex Differences , 1974 .

[65]  N. Higgins,et al.  Field trips as short-term experiential learning activities in legal education , 2012 .

[66]  Charlie C. Chen,et al.  Using social media to enrich information systems field trip experiences: Students' satisfaction and continuance intentions , 2016, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[67]  K. Downing,et al.  Measuring gender differences in cognitive functioning , 2008 .

[68]  J. Kim.  An extended technology acceptance model in behavioral intention toward hotel tablet apps with moderating effects of gender and age , 2016 .

[69]  R. Felder,et al.  Learning and Teaching Styles In Foreign and Second Language Education , 1995 .

[70]  Paul D. Larson,et al.  LOGISTICS SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES FOR SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT , 2001 .

[71]  Laura M. Birou,et al.  Logistics education: a look at the current state of the art and science , 2013 .

[72]  Avi Hofstein,et al.  Factors that influence learning during a scientific field trip in a natural environment , 1994 .

[73]  Logistics education: Achieving market and research driven skill development , 2001 .

[74]  Thomas A. DiPrete,et al.  School Context and the Gender Gap in Educational Achievement , 2012 .

[75]  Patrick Mair,et al.  Breaking free from the limitations of classical test theory: Developing and measuring information systems scales using item response theory , 2017, Inf. Manag..

[76]  Vidar Alvarstein,et al.  Problem‐based learning approach in teaching lower level logistics and transportation , 2001 .

[77]  Kerri M. Keech,et al.  Using Student-Developed Games to Increase Knowledge Retention , 2011 .

[78]  Alan Harrison,et al.  Embedding “insights from industry” in supply chain programmes: the role of guest lecturers , 2011 .

[79]  J. G. Adair,et al.  The Hawthorne effect: A reconsideration of the methodological artifact. , 1984 .

[80]  D. Tranfield,et al.  Towards a Methodology for Developing Evidence-Informed Management Knowledge by Means of Systematic Review , 2003 .

[81]  Chuang-Zhong Li,et al.  Sustainable Transport , 2021, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

[82]  Alistair Brandon-Jones,et al.  Bringing teaching to life: Exploring innovative approaches to operations management education , 2012 .

[83]  I. Ajzen.  The theory of planned behavior , 1991 .

[84]  Chun-Lin Lee,et al.  The Influence of Computer Literacy and Computer Anxiety on Computer Self-Efficacy: The Moderating Effect of Gender , 2014, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[85]  S. Vogel,et al.  The Role of Knowledge, Social Norms, and Attitudes Toward Organic Products and Shopping Behavior: Survey Results from High School Students in Vienna , 2009 .

[86]  D. Lambert,et al.  Issues in Supply Chain Management , 2000 .

[87]  James Kisiel,et al.  More Than Lions and Tigers and Bears: Creating Meaningful Field Trip Lessons , 2006 .