ERIC Number: EJ1406948
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-4622
EISSN: EISSN-1469-5871
Common and Threatened Animal Identification and Conservation Preferences among 6 to 12 Year-Old Students
Environmental Education Research, v30 n1 p101-117 2024
Biodiversity loss is one of the biggest environmental issues in the world today and the biodiversity literacy of citizens can be key to counteracting this. Considering that children can be change agents and actively take part in decision-making from early years, we have assessed the native fauna identification skills of Primary School students (aged 6-12 years-old; n = 1975) from northern Spain along with their conservation preferences regarding common and threatened species. We have observed that, despite students' species literacy increasing with the education level, it remains overall very low. Besides, the conservation preferences of children are not exclusively guided by conservation priorities and, although are partially explained by species identification accuracy, other factors also seem to skew these preferences. These findings point out the need to properly address knowledge of local fauna from the early school years and the urgent need to provide children with the appropriate training regarding the characteristics to be taken into account when selecting species for protection and ensure their conservation.
Descriptors: Conservation (Environment), Biodiversity, Animals, Preferences, Elementary School Students, Wildlife, Knowledge Level, Student Characteristics, Foreign Countries, Environmental Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Spain
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A