Can virtual field trips be substituted for real-world field trips in an eighth grade geology curriculum?

Abstract

This study compares student learning from a real-world field trip with student learning from a virtual field trip. A field trip was designed to show students the way geologists believe the Grand Coulee in eastern Washington State was created. A real-world version and a virtual version (panoramic photographs) were constructed. Participants in the study were eighth grade Earth Science students. At the end of the study it was found that there was no significant difference on the final assessment between the scores of real-world field trip participants and the scores of virtual field trip participants.