Exploring 3rd Graders’ Informal Science Learning Experiences in the Schoolyard: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative study examined the informal science learning experiences of 29 third-grade students in a schoolyard environment. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire on students’ views of living things and the environment. Findings indicate that engagement in schoolyard activities enhanced students’ understanding of environmental concepts, including living and non-living organisms, biodiversity, forest ecosystems, recycling, and interactions between organisms and their environment. Students’ environmental awareness improved within a short period, and their concrete reasoning abilities facilitated meaningful connections with observable phenomena, reflecting developmental learning processes. The results alsohighlight that experiential engagement encouraged active inquiry, curiosity, and reflection, aligning with principles of experiential learning. However, misconceptions persisted regarding abstract ecological concepts such as the foodweb, microscopic organisms, soil, water, and flowers, suggesting the need for developmentally appropriate scaffolding in informal science contexts. These results highlight the educational potential of schoolyards as outdoor learning environments, reinforcing experiential, inquiry-based approaches and fostering sustainable environmental attitudes in primary education.