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- Non-anthropocentric reasoning in children: its incidence when they are confronted with ecological dilemmasPublication . Almeida, António; Vasconcelos, Clara; Strecht-Ribeiro, Orlando; Torres, JoanaThis study used an individual structured interview to (1) verify the incidence of non-anthropocentric reasoning in 123 children attending the 3rd and 4th years in three primary schools in the Lisbon area (Portugal), when they are confronted with ecological dilemmas and (2) establish those places they frequented which permit animal contact. The results show a greater incidence of non-anthropocentric reasoning than that obtained in other international studies. This may be related to the focus of the questions asked, which invited children to imagine themselves as another animal or to present situations where human interaction is unfair. This incidence was found independently of gender, school origin and whether or not pets were owned, even with the more biologically complex animals. School year was the only variable proven to make a difference in conceptually more demanding questions. We also verified that the children's general past experience of nature is essentially aligned to ‘controlled environments depending on ongoing human management’, confirming a decline in direct contact with ‘natural and semi-natural environments’. However, this type of experience does not seem to exert a negative influence on their non-anthropocentric reasoning.
- A abordagem do conhecimento científico e a discussão de valores ambientalistas através da literatura para a infânciaPublication . Almeida, António; Strecht-Ribeiro, OrlandoVárias obras no âmbito da literatura para a infância contribuem para o conhecimento da Natureza e permitem a compreensão de conceitos científicos diversos, nomeadamente de aqueles que se situam no âmbito da Ecologia. Da mesma forma, outras obras encerram um teor ambientalista, pondo a nu a acção destrutiva do ser humano e a sua responsabilidade na presente crise ambiental. Contudo, dada a pluralidade de valores ambientalistas, importa que os professores seleccionem obras que se afastem de um ideário exclusivamente antropocêntrico, potenciando em crianças e jovens outras formas de conceber a relação do ser humano com a Natureza.
- Biocentric reasoning in children: implications in science and environmental educationPublication . Almeida, António; Strecht-Ribeiro, Orlando; Vasconcelos, ClaraThis study aimed to verify the incidence of biocentric reasoning (centred on the welfare of the animals) in 91 children, aged between 8 and 10, attending the 3rd and 4th years in a primary school of Lisbon, Portugal, and is the continuity of another study promoted by the authors. To do that, a questionnaire was applied, inquiring about the type of places where the children contact with animals and their opinion about the human behaviour in three different situations involving animals (dilemmas). The results have shown that the majority of children had a small contact with natural and semi-natural places, and the majority only went to places where nature is managed, like zoos and similar parks. This experience seems to be responsible for inappropriate ideas about zoos, considered by some children the ideal place to keep wild animals because there they are well treated and safer from predators. However, and globally, the incidence of biocentric reasoning in the dilemmas is high, proving its increasing in situations in which human action is considered selfish or inappropriate, but it also is affected by the species presented (the empathy factor seems to be important as well). Implications of these results for Science and Environmental Education are also discussed.
- Children’s knowledge and contact with native fauna: a comparative study between Portugal and SpainPublication . Almeida, António; García Fernández, Beatriz; Strecht-Ribeiro, OrlandoThe present study compared Portuguese and Spanish children in the 6th year of primary school in terms of their knowledge and live experience of animals from the Iberian Peninsula (IP) and the African savannah. A questionnaire was administered to 420 children from state schools, 215 from Portugal and 205 from Spain. The questionnaire included photos of eleven mammals from each region. The pupils had to identify them, to say if they had observed them live and where, and if they are native in the IP. The results showed a greater knowledge of both groups of the savannah species, also the ones most had seen live. However, the Spanish children had a better performance in the identification of the native mammals and which animals are native on IP, probably because these children are from a less urban zone, with more direct contact with some of the species presented. The school does not seem to play, in either group, an important role in the learning about native species. Boys from both countries performed better than girls on the issues under study. A high percentage of children from both countries think that several of the savannah species occur wild on the IP.
- Children’s opinions about zoos: a study of Portuguese and Spanish pupilsPublication . Almeida, António; García Fernández, Beatriz; Strecht-Ribeiro, OrlandoIn this study, we analyzed the opinions of primary-school children from Portugal and Spain about zoos. The sample consisted of 560 pupils, mean age 11.38 years and in the 6th grade of schooling. For the purpose of this study, a two-part questionnaire was designed. In the first part, children were asked to name up to three positive and negative aspects of these institutions. Special attention was given to aspects related to animal welfare. In the second part, they had to express their opinion about 18 statements relating to different perspectives toward zoos: six were anthropocentric statements (in favor of zoos), six were biocentric (against zoos), and six ecocentric (partially supporting their existence). The results were analyzed for the whole sample but also according to the children’s country, gender, and type of visit (with school or exclusively with parents and relatives). Children tended to highlight the facilities and the amusements on offer, but the contact with animals and the way animals are treated were also in evidence. On the whole, the children supported the existence of zoos, and disagreed more often with the biocentric statements. Even so, the Spanish children, as compared with the Portuguese, were more in agreement with the biocentric perspective. However, children who went to zoos in a formal context (school visit) tended to be more anthropocentric than the ones who went with family/relatives. This tendency may be related to the fact that school contents tend to highlight the educational and conservationist roles of zoos and focus less on the controversial dimension associated with these places. But this tendency needs further research.
- Attitudes toward animals: a study of Portuguese childrenPublication . Almeida, António; Vasconcelos, Clara; Strecht-Ribeiro, OrlandoIn this study we analyzed the attitudes toward different animals in 210 Portuguese children: 107 boys and 103 girls, aged between 8 and 10 years, attending the 3rd and 4th years of primary school. We used a questionnaire with two distinct parts. In the first part, the children were asked about the degree to which they liked 25 different animals, using a scale ranging from −7 (strongly dislike) to 7 (like very much), and to give their reasons for the value attributed. In the second part, they were asked whether in the event of the animals being threatened with extinction, it would be important to save any of them. We also asked for the reasons for their opinion. The most popular animals were big mammals and also birds. Certain gender differences were present, with boys preferring predators and other animals with a traditionally bad image, like bats and sharks. The most disliked animals were insects, but also those that were thought of as a danger to humans. However, we found a moderate positive correlation between liking and saving an animal, although this was lower in the case of the girls toward several animals. This shows that a negative perception of an animal does not always mean a negative attitude toward it. In part, the reasons for liking an animal were different from the reasons for saving it. All the results are important for the design of primary school teaching activities involving animals, including the fact that some reasons that the children gave revealed a lack of knowledge about the meaning of certain behaviors of the animals and of their ecological role.
- As vivências de contacto com a natureza de crianças do 1º ciclo: implicações para o contexto formal e não formal de aprendizagemPublication . Strecht-Ribeiro, Orlando; Almeida, AntónioO presente estudo procurou verificar as vivências de contacto com a natureza de 123 crianças do 1º ciclo a frequentar 4 escolas da região de Lisboa e pertencentes a um meio socioeconómico médio/ elevado. Para tal, foi realizada uma entrevista estruturada e realizada individualmente de forma a conhecer os locais em que as crianças já tinham visto animais, assim como a preferência manifestada por esses locais. Os resultados, concordantes com os de outros estudos internacionais, revelam um contacto maioritário das crianças com locais onde a natureza é gerida em detrimento do contacto com espaços naturais. Decorrente destes resultados, são apresentadas algumas sugestões para os contextos formal e não formal de aprendizagem e que visam atribuir à escola um papel activo na maior diversificação de experiências das crianças.
- Literatura para a infância com mensagem ambiental: sua influência nas ideias das crianças acerca da relação entre o ser humano e a naturezaPublication . Almeida, António; Strecht-Ribeiro, OrlandoA literatura para a infância tem vindo a incorporar valores ambientalistas que traduzem perspectivas distintas na forma de o ser humano olhar a natureza. Este estudo consistiu na verificação da influência de três obras com um ideário não antropocêntrico nas ideias das crianças acerca (1) da apropriação do planeta pelo ser humano e consequente expulsão das outras espécies, (2) do confinamento de animais em zoos e (3) do aprisionamento de animais em gaiolas em meio doméstico. Para tal, 89 crianças do 1.º ciclo (idades compreendidas entre os 8 e 10 anos) de duas escolas portuguesas trabalharam as 3 histórias seguindo um plano de exploração pré-definido. Após esta exploração, foi-lhes aplicado um questionário com situações-problema, versando os assuntos mencionados, e que se propôs verificar a incidência nas crianças de argumentos centrados ou descentrados no ser humano. Os resultados indicaram que os últimos tiveram uma frequência elevada, o que indicia pelo menos alguma influência das obras trabalhadas.
- Ecologia, Ecologismos e LiteraturaPublication . Almeida, António; Strecht-Ribeiro, OrlandoO conhecimento da literatura portuguesa permite constatar que muitos dos nossos escritores se inspiram no mundo natural e reflectem esse interesse, de múltiplas formas, na concepção das suas obras.
- Primary school children and pre-service teachers’ knowledge of iberian native and african savannah mammalsPublication . Almeida, António; García Fernández, Beatriz; Strecht-Ribeiro, OrlandoThe present research compared the knowledge of primary school children and pre-service primary teachers about various native mammals of the Iberian Peninsula (IP-Portugal and Spain) and the African Savannah. For this purpose, a questionnaire was administered to 420 children and 215 pre-service teachers from these countries asking for the identification of animals through photos and whether they had native status on the IP. The pre-service teachers performed better than the children. The Savannah animals were better identified than those of the IP. The results were similar in both countries, even though the Spanish performed a little better. Children from both countries had more difficulty identifying the native status of the animals, with a high percentage of them thinking that Savannah animals lived in the wild on the IP. This error was less frequent among the pre-service teachers but, even so, with a percentage for certain animals that can be considered of concern. This issue is absent in the training courses in both countries, a conclusion based on an analysis of the syllabuses. The importance of improving knowledge of native fauna though formal and informal learning is discussed as a way to promote a conservationist attitude with direct repercussions on the recognition of the importance of local or regional biodiversity.