Great Zimbabwe University Psychology Students’ Perceptions of Educational Field Trips

Abstract

This study sought to explore psychology students’ perceptions of field trips to two prisons, two psychiatric hospitals and a special school. This research is premised on exploring views of students on the rationale, organization as well as effectiveness of field trips. A quantitative approach was adopted, particularly making use of descriptive survey design. A sample of 38 students was selected through stratified random sampling and data was analysed using SPSS version 19 and Stata version 11.0. The researchers administered Likert form questionnaires to a total of thirty eight (38) undergraduate students. The research revealed that students viewed field trips as effective ways of learning as they relate theory to practice. Students indicated that they preferred trips that involved a lot of interaction with special populations like prisoners and mental patients. It was also revealed that field trips had an influence on career paths that students would want to pursue after graduation. The study recommends that more trips that relate to other modules, like organisational psychology, should be done. A study with a larger sample of students from different programmes would provide rich data that could be generalised to a larger population.