Abstract:
This study investigated the development of Grade 11 biology students’ knowledge of wetland
birds with the use of a field trip. The three research questions guiding the study were: “What
is the conception of Grade 11 biology students’ knowledge on birds found in Pitseng wetland
ecosystem?”; “How does Grade 11 students’ knowledge of birds in Pitseng wetland develop
with the use of field trip approach overtime?” and “What is the difference between the
conception of male and female students on wetland birds if any?” The research involved 34
participants, and the research instruments for generating data were observation and open-ended
questionnaire and a students’ field worksheet. The students’ knowledge was assessed within
the ecological literacy framework. The analysis of data was both qualitative and quantitative
descriptive. The findings revealed that students’ knowledge on wetland birds increased with
the use of field trip overtime. The study concludes that field trip is an effective strategy for
studying birds in the local ecosystem, and for developing students’ ecological literacy. It is
recommended that the method should be used widely in the teaching of biology and that further
research should explore its use in the study of birds, with focus on students’ ecological
conceptions in schools located in different regions of the country, and the data be analysed in
terms of other demographic variables, such as age and home background.
