Foods that we use and consume everyday have symbols on their packaging, which are called pictograms. When shopping, these symbols allow us to choose quality products that aren't harmful to our health or to the environment. In this master thesis, we researched the fourth graders', fifth graders' and sixth graders' knowledge and understanding of the pictograms that are placed on the most commonly used foods. Some research concerning the understanding of the pictograms (mostly those used on pharmaceuticals) has already been carried out. However, we haven't come across any research done among the students and the pictograms used on the foods that we use every day.
For the research, we used the descriptive method and the non-experimental causal method, as well as convenience sampling for the Primorsko-Notranjska region. The research included 248 fourth graders, fifth graders and sixth graders, 111 of them were male students and 137 were female.
The purpose of this research is to draw attention to the importance of pictograms used on foods and other products from the environmental point of view, and to preserve the health of the consumers. Nowadays, students are already considered to be consumers.
The research shows that most students are not well acquainted or they are just partially familiar with the pictograms they learn about in school, and that they understand their meanings. There are no significant differences when it comes to recognizing the pictograms among the fourth graders, fifth graders and sixth graders. We also found out that the students don't »read« the pictograms on the packages when they are shopping.
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