Predstave petošolcev o travnikih kot ekosistemih : magistrsko delo

Zaplatić, Gloria (author), Torkar, Gregor (mentor)

Biološko znanje postaja vse pomembnejše za sprejemanje osebnih in družbenih odločitev. Biotska pestrost oziroma pestrost živih organizmov se spreminja tudi zaradi človekovega poseganja v naravne ekosisteme. Sposobnost prepoznavanja sprememb v ekosistemu posamezniku omogoča vpogled v stanje ekosistema. V kolikor želimo na tem področju narediti spremembe, moramo z njimi začeti pri otrocih, in to že v osnovni šoli. Temelj sprememb predstavljata posameznikovo poznavanje in razumevanje procesov, ki potekajo v ekosistemu. Globoko razumevanje bioloških konceptov temelji na pripravljenosti učencev, da nove razlage o delovanju živih sistemov sprejmejo za svoje in jih vgradijo v že obstoječo mrežo znanja, pri čemer je učinkovitost učenja nove snovi močno povezana s predhodnim znanjem, posameznikove predhodne napačne in nepopolne predstave pogosto predstavljajo oviro pri razumevanju novih vsebin. V magistrskem delu smo ugotavljali predstave petošolcev o travnikih kot ekosistemih. Način vzorčenja je bil neslučajnostni, namenski. V prvem delu raziskave je sodelovalo 17 učencev in učenk 5. razreda izbrane osnovne šole v Ljubljani, katerih povprečna starost je 11 let. Za kvalitativni del raziskave smo izbrali 10 učencev in z vsakim opravili delno strukturiran intervju, pri katerem smo preverjali njihove predstave o ekosistemu in procesih, ki v njem potekajo. Zanimalo nas je, kako razumejo zgradbo in delovanje ekosistema. Seznaniti smo se želeli z njihovim pogledom na prehranjevalne odnose in pretok energije v ekosistemu. Želeli smo pridobiti vpogled v njihovo zmožnost povezovanja pridobljenih znanj o ekosistemu in s tem preveriti, kako razumejo človekove vplive na ekosistem. Ob koncu smo z vsemi, ki so sodelovali pri individualnih intervjujih, izvedli skupinski pogovor. Ta naj bi prispeval k njihovemu razumevanju ekologije in vloge organizma v ekosistemu. Podatki, ki smo jih pridobili, kažejo, da imajo učenci o travniku in ekosistemih na splošno veliko različnih, pogosto nepopolnih ali napačnih predstav. Največ nepopolnih predstav smo pri učencih prepoznali na področju razumevanja delovanja ekosistema, pri poznavanju prehranjevalnih odnosov in pretvorbah energije v ekosistemu. Izkazalo se je, da imajo učenci največ težav na področju razumevanja in uporabe znanj iz naravoslovnih vsebin. Ugotavljamo, da je poznavanje travnika kot ekosistema med učenci v večji meri omejeno zgolj na poznavanje naravoslovnih pojavov, katerih predstave smo pri učencih preiskovali, manj na njihovo razumevanje. V vlogi uporabe, analize in sinteze vsebin, vezanih na ekosistem in procese, ki v njem potekajo, se učenci niso odrezali tako, kot bi se od njih glede na operativne cilje in vsebine učnih načrtov spoznavanja okolja ter naravoslovja in tehnike ob zaključku šolanja na razredni stopnji pričakovalo. Dinamika skupinskega pogovora je pozitivno vplivala na kognitivne in afektivne vidike učenja posameznikov. Eden izmed pozitivnih preobratov, ki ga je skupinski pogovor prispeval, je bil ta, da so učenci namesto prehranjevalnih verig, ki so jih sestavljali pri posameznih intervjujih, s skupnimi močmi sestavili prehranjevalni splet. Druga pozitivna posledica skupinskega spoznavanja polža in deževnika je bila, da se je več učencev opogumilo za stik z deževnikom na pobudo sovrstnikov. Presenetilo nas je, da so učenci deževnika in polža, v okviru svojega dosedanjega formalnega in neformalnega izobraževanja, podrobneje spoznali šele v okviru naše raziskave in da so o teh dveh živalih, ki so pogosti prebivalci antropogenih okolij, pri njih obstajale mnoge napačne predstave ter predsodki, ki so jih skozi spoznavanje opustili in ob tem napačne predstave zamenjali z ustreznejšimi. Z rezultati raziskave želimo opozoriti na pomembno vlogo učenčevih predstav na naravoslovnem področju ter izpostaviti dejavnike, ki so pri poučevanju naravoslovja na razredni stopnji pogosto, verjetno nenamerno, zanemarjeni ter se odražajo v nepopolnih in napačnih predstavah učencev in kasneje teh istih odraslih posameznikov, ki s svojim bivanjem v ekosistemu tega sooblikujejo ter s svojimi ravnanji nanj večstransko vplivajo.

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: intervju, napačne predstave
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.09 - Master's Thesis
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publisher: [G. Zaplatić]
• Year: 2015
• Number of pages: 70 str., [8] str. pril.
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-79942
• UDC: 373.3:502/504(043.2)
• COBISS.SI-ID: 10849609
• Publication date in RUL: 30.12.2015

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Title: Fifth-grade students' perceptions about grasslands as ecosystems

Abstract

Biological knowledge has become more and more important in taking personal and social decisions. Biodiversity or biota diversity has been changing also because of human activities affecting natural ecosystems. Ability to recognize changes in the ecosystem allows an individual to have a deep insight into the state of the ecosystem. If we want to make changes in this field, it is necessary to start at the very early stage, with children in the primary school. The base of changes consists of two elements – individual's knowledge and understanding of processes that run out in ecosystems. Deep understanding of biological processes is based on pupils' readiness to accept new explanations about functioning of live systems as their own ones and integrate them into already existing knowledge network, while taking into consideration that effectiveness of learning is strongly connected with previous knowledge. The individual's previous misconceptions often present an obstacle in understanding new concepts. The master's thesis deals with perceptions of class 5 pupils about meadows as ecosystems. The method of sampling was non-accidental, purpose-made. 17 pupils, boys and girls, from one of primary schools in Ljubljana, average age 11 years, took part in the first part of the research. 10 pupils were involved in the qualitative part of the research. We had an interview with each one of them checking their perceptions about ecosystems and processes that are part of them. We wanted to find out how structure and functiong of the ecosystem were understood by the pupils. Furthermore, we wanted to check their view of food relations and energy flow in the ecosystem. Our wish was to get insight into their abilities of connecting their new-found knowledge about ecosystems and check their understanding of human influence on the ecosystem. At the end all the pupils, interviewees, took part in a group conversation which contributed to their understanding of ecology and role of organisms in the ecosystem. The data gained show that the pupils have a lot of different, often wrong conceptions about meadows and ecosystems in general. A larger number of incomplete perceptions is present in the field of understanding the ecosystem functioning, food relations and energy flows in ecosystems. It is obvious that the pupils have problems with understanding and using knowledge of natural sciences. Their knowledge about a meadow as the ecosystem is more or less limited to science phenomena than to their understanding. The results show that the pupils are not as good as expected at the end of the first educational period according to operational objectives and course syllabus, in the areas of use, analysis and synthesis of contents connected with ecosystems and their processes. The dynamics of group conversation had a positive influence on cognitive and affective factors of individual's learning. One of them is their ability to make a food web as a group instead of making food chains as individuals. Another good element was the fact that more pupils showed courage and touched an earthworm being stimulated by their classmates. But we were surprised when we noticed that these pupils had a detailed presentation of an earthworm and a snail (animals which are typical of anthropogenic environments) for the first time during our research and they had wrong perceptions and prejudices about them but they replaced them with more proper ones. The results of the reseach want to point out that perceptions of pupils play an imporant role in natural sciences and expose factors which are, when teaching science at early stages, often, probably unintentionally, neglected and reflect in pupils' misconceptions and later in adults' perceptions as well. They are the ones who by living in the ecosystem co-design it and have influence on it by their actions.

• Keywords: ecosystem