Opportunities and challenges while conducting field trips to the museum: a narrative review

Abstract

The museum visit field trip engages and motivates the children in various activities. Field trips to the museum provide the students with a constructivist and experiential learning environment as they construct knowledge through observing the artifacts. The present study describes the possible opportunities and challenges for school children while conducting field trips to the museum. The study employed a narrative review technique to address the research question raised. The study selected the literature reviews from 2012-2023, including studies on field trips to the museum for the academic engagement of school children. The data includes 50 peer-reviewed journal articles categorized into five categories: students’ overall development, experiential learning opportunities, the museum as a resource, the role of teachers, the school, and museum authority. Results revealed that the museum is a resource for learning and is perfect for improving students’ cognitive and affective development towards the various school subjects and helping them enhance their participatory learning opportunities. However, teachers’ knowledge, infrastructure, parental consent, and legitimization with the school authority are some challenges in conducting museum visit field trips. Future research may focus on conducting empirical studies, which include school-museum collaboration, to enhance the horizon of school and community knowledge.