Investigation of Experiential Learning Practices in K-12 Education

Abstract

Experiential learning is a teaching strategy and theory that emphasizes the individual student's experience "... there is one permanent frame of reference: namely, the organic connection between education and personal experience” (Dewey, 1938, p. 25).  What is known about experiential learning methodology conclusively is that students experience superior learning outcomes when experiential learning methods are used (Burch et al., 2019). What requires further investigation are the factors of assessing experiential education to determine what procedures contribute to the achievement of student outcomes. There is a lack of formal research in K-12 experiential learning and available experiential frameworks are insufficient when applied to K-12 education.  Experiential resources focus primarily on the student’s progress through a set of defined procedures when supporting material for the facilitation of learning by educators are noticeably absent. This paper establishes the need for a base of instructors' understanding in K-12 experiential methods assessment. This research identifies areas for further exploration of concepts and future studies to develop relevant supports to facilitate meaningful experiential education in K-12 education.