The students’ post
test results were broken up into one or more of the following categories: marking each mushroom with a flag, searching
the area by ground type, using the map to cover the entire area, using care to
obtain an accurate mushroom count, and using a visual sweep of an area.
75% of the
students mentioned using the biodegradable flags to indicate that a mushroom
had been counted already. This
percentage indicates that the students realized that some sort of organization
must be utilized to obtain an accurate count.
The size of the area and amount of mushrooms emphasized the importance
of a non-random search.
Almost half of the
student wrote that they would search by ground type. Searching by ground type broke the large area into smaller, more
workable units that the students were able to see clearly from one end to
another. Since the entirety of the
field was relatively small compared to the potential capacity of the field (the
field exercise used 1/9 of the field application’s size), the ground types
might not be so effective in a larger area.
Considerations must also be taken for the field being broken up into
three ground types, each type occurring once in the field. If the ground types were scattered across
the field in multiple patches, searching by ground types might also prove to
produce different results.
As one of the
students wrote: “Since the computer had a map you could make sure that there
was a (dot) in every part of the field.”
Only two students mentioned using the map, both being in a trace
treatment group. Since only trace
treatment students wrote about or drew pictures of the trace and map, one might
guess that only this treatment actually aided the students in their field
traversals.
Half of the
students used meticulous counting as part of their strategy to obtain an
accurate count. This method was not
included in the pre- or post-discussions, so the students were exercising their
common sense.
Finally, a few
students wrote about using a visual sweep of an area to add accuracy to their
counts. A visual sweep is standing in
one area and turning 360 degrees in either direction, eyeballing the area for
any missed mushrooms. All the students
that wrote about using this method also wrote about using flags to mark counted
mushrooms, which allows the sweep to be performed. If a mushroom does not have a flag when the student is “turning”,
they will mark it (as observed from the field performances). One student mentioned executing a sweep
after counting and flagging mushrooms in each area, which might only be
effective for these smaller ground type areas.
Lastly, a few of
the student wrote responses to question one that had no pertinence to the
discussion. One of these students did
not actually participate in the study, but the other two students that did not
participate wrote answers that reflected some gained knowledge of traversal
strategies through the pre- and post-discussions.