UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF THE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING APPROACH: BENEFITS, IMPACTS AND STRATEGIES.

Abstract

Experiential learning is a philosophy and methodology in which educators purposely engage with students through direct experience and focused reflection to increase knowledge, develop skills, and clarify values. Experiential learning opportunities exist in a variety of course-and non-course-based forms and may include community service, serving learning, undergraduate research, study abroad and culminating experiences such as internship, student teaching, and capstone projects. The study is a descriptive survey designed to investigate the perception of undergraduate students of experiential learning approach: benefits, impact, and strategies. The population of the study is 121 year two students in the Department of Curriculum Studies and Educational Technology, Faculty of Education, University of Port Harcourt and 106 year two students in the Department of Educational Technology. A sample of 100 students was used in this study. A stratified sampling technique was used for the study. The instrument used for the study was a structured questionnaire titled Undergraduate students perception of experiential learning approach: Benefits, Impact and Strategies (USPELABIS) with 15 items. The study used face and content validity. Using Cronbach alpha, reliability co-efficient of 0.72 was obtained. The study's statistical methods included the mean and Z- test. The study found that students often perceive experiential learning as a means to better grasp theoretical knowledge by applying it to real-world contexts; Engaging in hands-on activities helps students retain information longer than traditional lecture-based learning. Based on the findings, the researchers recommended that university curricula should incorporate more possibilities for experiential learning, such as fieldwork, internships, and practical projects