Wolvesʼ conservation through educational workshops : which method works best?

Oražem, Vesna (author), Tomažič, Iztok (author), Kos, Ivan (author), Nagode, Dolores (author), Randler, Christoph (author)

(1) Background: Conservation biology education is an important societal goal, targeting the worldwide promotion of biodiversity conservation. When learning about animals, direct experience poses an ideal opportunity to influence the participants’ attitudes and knowledge. However, in the case of large carnivores, direct experiences are scarcely possible, except at local zoos. School teaching should therefore rely on preserved materials, which are still originals. (2) Methods: Here, we investigated how students’ attitudes and knowledge regarding wolves can be improved in three different teaching contexts: (a) through conventional lectures, (b) through lectures combined with hands-on activities in the real classroom setting, and (c) through lectures with hands-on activities at the university. Students from general and vocational (veterinary) upper secondary school participated in the study. Attitudes and knowledge were tested before and after the teaching. (3) Results: Students displayed positive attitudes toward wolves and their prior knowledge had the highest influence on attitude ratings. Knowledge about wolves improved during teaching regardless of the teaching approach. The highest influence on attitudes and knowledge was observed in the university setting. (4) Conclusion: The university setting evidently produces the strongest effect so it is a recommended approach when designing conservational topics.

• Language: English
• Keywords: achievement, attitude, conservation, educational workshops, teaching methods, wolves
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty; PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2019
• Number of pages: 17 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 11, iss. 4, art. 1124
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-132362
• UDC: 599.744.111.1:37
• ISSN on article: 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su11041124
• COBISS.SI-ID: 4998479
• Publication date in RUL: 22.10.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Sustainability
• Shortened title: Sustainability
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2071-1050
• COBISS.SI-ID: 5324897

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 21.02.2019

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: Gips-Schüle Stiftung

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft