Head to the field: Exploring fieldwork as a direct experience learning tool in the integrated geography learning

This article examines the critical aspect  of fieldwork as a direct experiential learning method in the improvement of learning outcomes in geography, in spite of its wide range of benefits. The researchers examined the students' learning process through direct field experience, guided by two research questions: (a) what are the supportive aspects of the fieldwork course in the integrated geography course, and (b) what are the constraining aspects of the fieldwork course in relation to achieving course objectives. We address these questions by considering Karen Nairn's critique of fieldwork, which emphasises the mechanisms of fieldwork as 'experience', which ascribes fieldwork as unmediated and transparent experience. The study indicates that students deemed the fieldwork advantageous, despite apprehensions regarding the time and effort invested in preparation. An area of continuity between aiding and obstructing direct experiential learning were identified amongst students throughout the duration of the course. Moreover, they also took into consideration factors that hinder the fieldwork in their learning achievement may come from the loose guidance, distractions from the natural environment and their peers, as well as the workload of assignments.