Exploring Middle School Students’ Opinions about an Out-of-School Platform: The Case of Scape and Aviation Training Center

The importance of out-of-school learning environments has been increasing day by day as young learners have the opportunity to gain first-hand experiences with scientific content outside formal science classes. Based on this importance, the aim of this study is to explore middle school students’ opinions before and after participating in a space and aviation training center visit. The current study was designed as action research. Data were collected from six sixth-grade students. Nine open-ended questions were administered to the participants before and after participating in a space and aviation training center visit. The participants answered the questions in written form. While most students had never been in an out-of-school environment, they indicated that the visit helped them to recall and learn the subject more easily. In addition, students indicated that out-of-school learning opportunities as they experienced increased their interest and helped to develop more positive attitudes toward the topic.