Relationship between ecology fieldwork and student attitudes toward environmental protection
✍ Scribed by R. Fernández Manzanal; L.M. Rodríguez Barreiro; M. Casal Jiménez
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 91 KB
- Volume
- 36
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-4308
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
This article is a summary of research carried out on Spanish secondary school students 14 -16 years of age, with the intention of finding out what contributions fieldwork makes toward the understanding of concepts and principles of ecology, and also to ascertain the effects of fieldwork on the defense of the studied ecosystem. Before further research was conducted, an exploratory study was carried out consisting of an initial diagnosis of the pupils' ideas; fieldwork materials were prepared and an ecology unit for the study of a freshwater ecosystem was designed, along with evaluation instruments. The experimental design was given shape thanks to work done with two groups of students on whom a more exhaustive study was performed. The independent variable consisted of a field trip; the dependent variable was the learning of ecological concepts and their application to the assessment of an environmental problem. The study combined qualitative and quantitative research methods. A result of the research work was the conclusion that fieldwork helps clarify ecological concepts and intervenes directly in the development of more favorable attitudes toward the defense of the ecosystem. Both components are seen when making valid judgments for the resolution of problems which negatively affect the ecosystem and for showing the way toward the type of actions and solutions which should be adopted.