Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, cilt.28, sa.2, ss.193-224, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus)
Camps are among the activities that teachers join in by taking full responsibility for their own ongoing development and eagerly following in accordance with their needs. This paper aims to demonstrate that the affinity space and authentic nature of astronomy camp activities provide teachers much more than expected. Therefore, the study will provide supporting evidence for developing a better understanding of the extent to which science teachers have an interest in astronomy, their perceptions about camp environments, and their learning experiences in such an atmosphere. The study employs both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The design of the study presents a statistical analysis of teachers' interest in astronomy using a validated scale and their perceptions using a semantic differentiation form, as well as interprets their experiences that stimulate this interest in astronomy and perception about camp environments through a qualitative analysis of teacher reflections and views on activities. Findings show that the social context of the camp is constructed by a selected group of individuals who have an interest in the camp and attach high-level meanings to it. And their views on activities reveal meaningful experiences that varied depending on the camp's affinity space, as well as authentic activities to support their development. In summary, the current study contributes to the growing body of evidence that affinity spaces and the authentic nature of the outdoor camp activities provide valuable experiences for teacher development.