The Library
Evaluating children's conservation biology learning at the zoo
Tools
Tools
Tools
Jensen, Eric (2014) Evaluating children's conservation biology learning at the zoo. Conservation Biology, 28 (4). pp. 1004-1011. doi:10.1111/cobi.12263
|
PDF
WRAP-evaluating-children's-conservation-biology-learning-zoo-Jensen-2014.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (868Kb) | Preview |
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12263
Abstract
Millions of children visit zoos every year with parents or schools to encounter wildlife firsthand. Public conservation education is a requirement for membership in professional zoo associations. However, in recent years zoos have been criticized for failing to educate the public on conservation issues and related biological concepts, such as animal adaptation to habitats. I used matched pre- and postvisit mixed methods questionnaires to investigate the educational value of zoo visits for children aged 7–15 years. The questionnaires gathered qualitative data from these individuals, including zoo-related thoughts and an annotated drawing of a habitat. A content analysis of these qualitative data produced the quantitative data reported in this article. I evaluated the relative learning outcomes of educator-guided and unguided zoo visits at London Zoo, both in terms of learning about conservation biology (measured by annotated drawings) and changing attitudes toward wildlife conservation (measured using thought-listing data). Forty-one percent of educator-guided visits and 34% of unguided visits resulted in conservation biology-related learning. Negative changes in children's understanding of animals and their habitats were more prevalent in unguided zoo visits. Overall, my results show the potential educational value of visiting zoos for children. However, they also suggest that zoos’ standard unguided interpretive materials are insufficient for achieving the best outcomes for visiting children. These results support a theoretical model of conservation biology learning that frames conservation educators as toolmakers who develop conceptual resources to enhance children's understanding of science.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects: | L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1501 Primary Education Q Science > QL Zoology |
||||||||||
| Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology | ||||||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Zoos -- Educational aspects, Conservation biology, London Zoo (London, England), Children's drawings | ||||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Conservation Biology | ||||||||||
| Publisher: | Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. | ||||||||||
| ISSN: | 0888-8892 | ||||||||||
| Official Date: | August 2014 | ||||||||||
| Dates: |
|
||||||||||
| Volume: | 28 | ||||||||||
| Number: | 4 | ||||||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 1004-1011 | ||||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1111/cobi.12263 | ||||||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
Request changes or add full text files to a record
Repository staff actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year
