Learning through Expedition from Eastern Tourists’ Viewpoint: Application of the Experimental Learning Theory

Benefits of outdoor learning, experimental learning and travel schooling have long been studied and well documented in other countries. However, these types of learning are still infancy in Iran and are understudied in architecture and urban planning fields. To address this gap in the literature, the present article investigates Iranian students’ and researchers’ learning from an academic field trip to Europe. Through the lens of the Kolbe’s Experimental Learning Theory, it will be predicted that academic field trips facilitate four- stage learning cycle simultaneously. The result of data analysis supported the research hypothesis.This study is qualitative in nature. The data for the study was collected through an unstructured interview and an open-ended questionnaire. The subjects consisted of 25 researchers and students who participated in an academic field trip to Italy and France in summer 2015. After transcribing the interviews and the questionnaires, the content analysis of the collected data were carried out using NVIVO17 software. The data analysis revealed that academic field trips promote four -stage learning cycle namely “concrete experience”, “reflective observation”, “abstract conceptualization” and “active experimentation” in Kolbe’s Experimental Learning Theory.