● July–September 2005 15(3) 458 YOUTH IN HORTICULTURE A Comparison of Previsits for Youth Field Trips to Public Gardens Cynthia Haynes 1 , Jon C. Pieper 2 , and Cary Trexler 3 ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. prequeing, Web education, novelty effect, pedagogy, youth education SUMMARY. Creating effective learning experiences with limited educational re- sources has compelled educators to maximize the value of field trips. A common problem associated with field trips is anxiety felt by students in new surround- ings, a situation that can distract students and adversely affect learning. Previsit activities before a field trip may reduce such anxiety and thereby increase at- tentiveness and learning. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of traditional and Internet-based previsit activities on learning and attitudes of fourth and fifth graders after a field trip to a public garden. Students in three classes were evaluated. Half of each class was assigned to one of the two pre- visit treatments. Three forms of assessments were used to measure the students’ perceptions and learning: 1) observations were made to determine how many students remained on-task during the field trip, 2) 12 close-ended (Likert scale) questions were given to students and used to evaluate attitudinal responses the day after the field trip, and 3) seven open-ended questions were given to students and used to evaluate cognitive responses 1 week after the field trip. Attitudinal responses were identical between treatments. Observational data indicated that students subjected to the Internet-based previsit activity exhibited fewer off-task behaviors. Internet-based previsit activities increased cognitive scores in students compared to the traditional previsit activities for two of seven questions. The advantages of the Internet-based previsit activities may be the result of enhanced opportunity for self-directed learning and access to additional content. Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011. 1 Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture. 2 Graduate Student, Department of Horticulture. 3 Assistant Professor, Department of Agriculture Educa- tion; currently at School of Education, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. F rom the earliest grades, students should experience science in an engaging form that fosters understanding (National Academy of Sciences, 1996). Early exposure to environmental concepts improves children’s attitudes toward the natural sciences and the environment (Kahtz, 1995; Midden and Chambers, 2000; Skelly and Zajicek, 1998). Hancock and Farris (1988) suggested that outdoor education, when compared to indoor learning, improves under- standing of the sciences by increasing general cognitive abilities, increas- ing student satisfaction, providing a physical connection to the sciences, and allowing a deeper understanding of tasks at hand. One way teachers have exposed students to outdoor education is through the integration of school gardening into science curricula (DeMarco et al., 1999; Midden and Chambers, 2000). Unfortunately, not all schools or classrooms have the space, time, or budget to create such gardens. Therefore, schools often rely on field trips to public gardens as a means of providing students with outdoor edu- cational opportunities. Field trips to gardens influence how children perceive the environment (Kahtz, 1995; Midden and Chambers, 2000; Skelly and Zajicek, 1998). Also, field trips improve understanding of difficult concepts by emphasizing participatory activities (Gagne, 1970; Wright, 1980). Field trips, however, are usually limited by time and budget, are difficult to organize, and can create a level of anxiety in students and teachers that hinders learning. Familiarity with a setting can af- fect learning during field trips (Falk et al., 1978; Gennaro, 1981; Gennaro et al., 1982; Kubota and Olstad, 1991; Stronck, 1983). Falk et al. (1978) pro- posed that an unfamiliar setting might decrease a child’s ability to learn. Like- wise, Wiesler and McCall (1976) found that novel stimuli cause distractions that increase the time students take to focus on learning or accomplishing tasks. Children adjust to novel settings by focusing on the new environment first, hampering learning during the adjustment period. On the other hand, Kubota and Olstad (1991) and Prather (1989) suggested that novel environ- ments foster an exploratory attitude in children that aids learning. Falk and Balling (1982) and Martin et al. (1981) found that children exposed to a novel environment gained significant knowledge of outdoor settings and non-task portions of a field trip. While there are conflicting conclu- sions on the impact of a new environ- ment on learning, Koran et al. (1983) and Gennaro (1981) showed that linking classroom activities to field trips increased cognitive learning and had a positive affect on attitudinal develop- ment. Reports have suggested that pre- visit activities—defined as the exposure of students to organized or designed curricular materials before a learning experience—can foster learning (Falk et al., 1978; Gennaro, 1981; Gennaro et al., 1982). Previsit activities, however, can be expensive and time-consuming. They may require additional resources such as books, speakers to talk about the subject, and reorganization of timetables and routines. As teachers look for simple and inexpensive ways to conduct effective field trips, the design of previsit activi- ties is an important factor to consider. In this regard, the Internet is an ef- fective resource for learning that is available to most schools. Educational opportunities presented through com- puter-based technology increase every year (Jones and Paolucci, 1999). This virtual environment provides almost infinite features to teach and interact with the online student, including discussion boards, file transfers, interac- tive displays, and libraries of informa- tion. Kulik et al. (1985) conducted a meta-analysis of 28 studies involving computer-assisted instruction. All except five studies showed an increase in the achievement scores of students in computer-based instruction classes compared to traditional classes. As public gardens continually search for new ways to develop and increase participation in their educa- tional programs (Byers, 1999), the integration of computer-based learn- ing and the field trips could prove to be an important tool for educators to connect children to the natural sciences and outdoor environment. Online experiences could be used to deliver previsit activities that reduce the “novelty effect” with a minimal cost per student. It is not known, however, if Internet-based previsits are as effec-