A meta-analysis study on the effectiveness of out of school learning environments in science education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of out-of-school learning on science achievement, attitude toward science, and motivation. A meta-analysis was utilized to combine the results of studies that had been conducted for the above-mentioned purpose. Moreover, the effects of six moderating variables –discipline, class level, implementer, number of places visited, group size, and duration of implementation - which have the potential to moderate the direction and magnitude of the relation between the independent and dependent variables were assessed during the follow-up analyses. This research was conducted with 50 studies obtained through a comprehensive literature review. In some of the studies, multiple dependent variables were investigated. Science achievement was investigated in 45 of these studies, and 56 effect sizes were calculated based on Hedges g. Twelve of 50 studies investigated the effect of out-of-school learning on attitudes toward science, and 14 of the effect sizes were calculated. The number of studies investigating the effects of out-of-school learning on motivation was just five therefore we decided not to conduct a meta-analysis for this variable. The findings indicated that the effect of out-of-school learning on science achievement was high, while the attitude towards science was moderate. In addition, the findings showed that discipline and class level moderate the effect of out-of-school learning on science achievement.