Enhancing Student Learning: Evaluating the Impact of Student Field Trips in Holocaust Education

The Student Experience: course related field trips and fostering a group identify for undergraduate students - Professional Development Series Dr Peter Leadbetter, Dr Anna Bussu & Dr Michael Richards Applied Health & Social Care 12.30-14.00 Wednesday 21st November 2018

Whyisimportant to evaluatestudentslearningexperience? • 1. to evaluate the impact of the experience for students and lecturers (knowledge and interpersonal skills) • 2. to inform best practice and implement innovative teaching • 3. to address the limited research in the area (& to disseminate & publish findings) • 5 to involve student’s in research • 6. for personal/professional development

Using an action research model, to explore undergraduate students and lecturers’ personal perceptions of visiting Holocaust-related sites

Background: Holocaust Education • The Holocaust: 1939 to 1945, millions of people were killed, including Jews, Gypsies, and people with physical and intellectual disabilities. • In education systems throughout Europe, Holocaust education is becoming increasing important due to the global re-emergence of nationalism, anti-semitism, racism and other forms of hate. • Holocaust education is aimed at preventing racism and cultural prejudices, promoting a democratic and tolerant society. • It emphasises tolerance and diversity as ideal resources for the promotion of peace, justice, and community (Salmons, 2003).

Holocaust Education • Recent focus on Holocaust education continues to be relevant as educators and academics are faced with the challenge of how best to develop educational practices and projects to stimulate student knowledge, remembrance and moral and emotional engagement (Szeinmann, Cowan & Griffiths 2018). • Several studies have focused on the content and ethical issues when teaching/learning about the Holocaust. Studies also focus on strategies to develop remembrance and consolidate knowledge of this period, whilst developing interpersonal skills and democratic citizenship (De Bruijn, 2018).

Holocaust Education in Higher Education • Evidence gap: no studies found relating to the pedagogic experience of undergraduate students & lecturers visiting Holocaust sites • Extensive literature on outdoor classroom experiences which considers student learning through what they do, what they encounter and what they discover • Outdoor classroom experiences can support students to develop tolerance, conflict resolution skills, cooperation, group reflection & team spirit, self-confidence, self-awareness, peer & staff relationships (Cooley et al., 2014; Stidder & Haasner, 2007).

Innovation • Our research aims to contribute to the literature on Holocaust Education in HE • Promote “best practice” for undergraduate students and staff in HE

Aims of our action-research project • The primary aim of the research is to explore undergraduate students’ and lecturers’ perceptions of visits to Holocaust-related sites. It explored personal learning (knowledge and interpersonal skills), limitations, and best practices strategies. • The research questions (RQ) focused on: 1. How do students on psycho-socio-educational degrees (who are preparing to become future professionals) elicit meaning of their experience? Self perceived learning 2. How satisfied were students and lecturers with the programme and visit to Holocaust-related sites? 3. Which factors are crucial to support students during such an emotional expereince? 4. What improvements can we implement to improve students and lecturers pedagogical experience ?

Participants The study involved • Two cohorts of students: Sixteen third year undergraduate students in the 2016/17 academic year and eighteen in the 2017/18 academic year. • Seven lecturers associated with the programme, who participated and visited the Holocaust-related sites (six teaching on the students degree and one in another degree). The students’ degree PAOB provides the knowledge and competencies to apply for employment with crime-related service providers. Given the sensitive and complex nature of issues explored as part of the degree, emotional and interpersonal skills are required to work in such settings (Botvin & Griffin, 2004).

Procedures The project provides twophases: • Pedagogic phase: planning and implementation of pedagogical contents before and during the visiting Holocaust-related sites (university led); • Research phases • Focus group with a sample of student participants (qualitative, post visit). • Interviews with lecturers/lecturers (qualitative, post visit).

Project phases Stage 1. Pedagogic phase: Two Lectures on Holocaust (Historical Introduction of Nazism ideology, Case study Oskar Schindler(January 2017 & 2018)). • Visiting Holocaust-related Sites (January 2017 & 2018) • First day: walk through what used to be Jewish Ghetto in Krakow. Visit Oskar Schindler’s Factory Museum. • Second day: Visiting Holocaust-related sites: testimonies of victims, complementary information about the site, commemorative poems

Project phases Stage 2: Research Project implementation • Focus group: students’ opinion and satisfaction In January 2017 and 2018 (post Holocaust sites visit), one focus group each year (1.5 hours) was conducted with student participants. The focus groups, explored participants’ personal understanding of the topic; student satisfaction of the pedagogic activity and Holocaust visits, and explored ways to improve future outdoor formative experiences. • Interviews: lecturers’ opinion and satisfaction Semi-structured interviews (n =7) were conducted with the lecturers who had visited Holocaust related sites with the students and/or delivered the pedagogic phase of the project. The aim of the interviews was to explore their reflections of the visit and to outline strategies to improve the educational experience for future cohorts of students.

Qualitative data analysis • The information gathered during the focus groups (which were audio recorded), and the open-ended questionnaires was analysed by the software ATLAS.ti 7.0 (Muhr, 2004), according to content analysis techniques (Neuendorf, 2017). • A rigorous approach to coding and analysis (Bussu, 2016). We examined the main findings by analysing the ATLAS.ti networks produced. • The data collected facilitated triangulation (Flick, 1992) and enabled the cross-checking of results from both lecturers and students, via different methodologies (interviews and focus group).

Main results

Student’s positive experiences I feel like we all know each other a little better (h), we shared such an emotional experience. In other words, by participating in an emotional and historic activity, they bonded and got to know each other more. For example: I think we socialised with a lot more different people that we wouldn’t necessarily socialise with on our course on that trip which was nice. Just like an emotional rollercoaster because …. brought you really down, but then we had some like fun times when we did go out and yeah very informative as well, like when I watch like the films now it’ll be more real, or if I read anything about it, it will be more real, because I’ve seen it, I’ve been there.

Criticisms: students negative experience I think for me the only thing I would change is the Tour. I feel like we might have enjoyed it more and got more out of it if we was allowed to go around by ourselves you know instead of having the tour guide … and there was no time to like stop and take pictures. I didn’t expect the tour guides to be so matter of fact about things like this happens, that happened. I expected them to be more emotional, but I suppose they’re just used to it you know like because they’re taking people on tours every day, and I expected them to be more emotional. I think those people saw it more as a tourist attraction though because they were the people that were taking pictures in front of things whereas we weren’t doing that. So I think that was more the people who saw it as a tourist attraction. No, I saw it as a tourist attraction. And I said to my mum, it’s a tourist attraction … I know it sounds awful but that’s the way I felt … clearly used for money coming into the country.

Students learning development I just think it makes you look at today’s world, and it makes you think that we need to put more things in place to stop it ever happening again, like obviously we’ve got dictators in power like [Person Name] ..., and just everyone it makes you just take a step back of the world and appreciate what you’ve got and just think you actually need to take a step in doing something to counteract just anything basically, like even if it’s means just something as simple as actually voting in the referendum it just makes you think that every little voice does matter I think this experience can develop understanding and empathy, concern for other people. I think it can also help students to think about how to relate to and communicate with different groups, marginal groups and their role in ending discrimination and unfairness. I think definitely the listening and definitely the empathy because I feel when we were all walking round no one was talking, everyone was just so focused just completely listening and empathy I think that’s just obvious like it forced everyone to just stand and think about what it was like (…) Definitely, it grinds your study, it adds context as to what like you learn, you can talk about like politically charged wars and stuff, but until you actually go there and experience it, it puts a lot of context into it just like we didn’t have before, and I’m kind of glad we went as overwhelmingly eerie as it was it was still like a great experience.

Students: how to improve the experience It felt for me like at that time and like when we were there it felt surreal, like it didn’t happen, but then it was after like when I got back to the hotel that it hit me and I was like, I just felt like depressed, and I was like just going through my head everything what we heard, it was just like how people lived like that, because when we were walking through it was freezing, and we had coats and scarves on, and then to think people were just in their pyjamas and how do you survive? I think because the guides are doing it probably every day, so they’ve just got used to it, but I think that causes a problem because they just try and get through it as quick as they can, and when I was listening to them they were talking about one thing and I wasn’t quite at where they were, so I wasn’t quite getting the right thing, but (.) it’s just because the situation where they are, they’re just trying to get you through it as quick as possible. • That is, students felt they needed time (during and after the visit) to reflect on their personal experience to enhance knowledge and learning through “self-narration”. • This thematic concept was repeated several time by students, who acknowledged the importance to be able to have “personal space” to re-elaborate the experience. • They suggested that this “personal reflective moment” could be thought of as a more structured training moment in which the participants can realise what they have learned and how they can use the experience to support their social and moral development.

Students: how to improve the experience • That is, they discussed how the experience could be improved by having more time with the tour guides and having time to “absorb” the emotional experience on the tour (and to commemorate the people who died in Auschwitz-Birkenau). I think for me the only thing that I would change is you know the [Tour Name] ... I feel like we might have enjoyed it more and got more out of it if we was allowed to go around by ourselves you know instead of having the tour guide, we were really moving quite quickly and there was no time to like stop and take pictures, and actually read the things, because the lady was just sort of you felt a bit rushed around.

Lecturers: positive experiences Amazing experience!!!... great for building my relationship with the students The ability to ‘stand in someone else’s shoes’ and try to understand how and why things happened as they did. Reflect on their own situation and perhaps appreciate what they’ve got! Develop understanding and empathy, concern for other people…help students to think about how to relate to and communicate with different groups, marginal groups and their role in ending discrimination and unfairness. It was a worthwhile experience. My knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust have improved. They found it an ‘eye-opening’ experience, and this prompted much discussion and reflection.

Lecturers: how to improve the experience • I think that this is a brilliant trip. The guide on the Auschwitz and Birkenau tour said that Auschwitz survivors occasionally give talks to visitors, but I presume this is not t very often and I do not know how much it would cost, but it might be worth considering if possible. • Could be useful introduce some learning experiences outdoor from first year, with specific goals/ aims; To involved students in research project link to outdoor learning experiences and not only like a sample; Furthermore, could be interesting to collect training needs and requirements of students before to organize “new formative visits”.. • (...)to involve PAOB students to plan new learning outdoor activities. It is very important to collect training needs of students. Sharing together a handbook of best practices and to promote a satisfactory learning experiences.

Implications and conclusions • Visiting Holocaust-related sites influenced the undergraduate students’ self-awareness, emotional and interpersonal life skills. • Staff & students clearly valued the experience to enhance individual emotional experiences & learning; and to create a “group identity” • Assisted in developing a Social consciousness • Students outlined the relevance of support for emotional learning through “self-narration”, with personal time to reflect and re-orient knowledge and acquired learning • The research is innovative, as few studies have examined the impact of Holocaust education on student’s emotional and social development • The research design encouraged & supported students in reflecting on this experience. • The study is innovative, as the opinions of both students and teachers provide practical strategies to support active learning for future cohorts of students.

Discussion • Any suggestions of ways to improve this experience? • What socio-relational (& emotional) outdoor learning experiences have you been involved with? Are these specific to your discipline? Any opportunities for inter or multi-professional experiences for students? • Any new research avenues? • Any collaborations?

Any Final Comments or Questions? Thank you! Anna, Michael and Peter Dr. Anna Bussu anna.bussu@edgehill.ac.uk Dr. Peter Leadbetter Leadbetp@edgehill.ac.uk Dr. Michael Richards Richarmi@edgehill.ac.uk

Enhancing Student Learning: Evaluating the Impact of Student Field Trips in Holocaust Education