Research on Outdoor STEM Education in the digiTal Age – Background and Introduction

Abstract

Both, mobile learning and extracurricular learning, offer great potentials for mathematics education. An interesting approach which combines those two concepts is the math trail idea: Students work outside on mathematical problems related to real-existing objects. Thereby, the mathematical learning progress can be structured by the MathCityMap app. The app guides students to the task situations, shows the task and gives hints. The subsequent described study shall examine the possible impact of long-term mobile-supported outdoor learning on mathematical skills by using the MathCityMap app. Therefore, twenty classes of eighth graders (Hessian Gymnasium) will be accompanied in the school year 2020/21. While one experimental group works on math trails by using the MathCityMap app, a second experimental group will work on a paper-and-pencil math trail. Within five tests, the learning progress of both groups will be compared among each other’s and with a control group.