Effect of environmental education on the knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and reconnection with nature in early childhood

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Feio, Maria João
Data de Publicação: 2022
Outros Autores: Mantas, Ana Isabel, Serra, Sónia R. Q., Calapez, Ana Raquel, Almeida, Salomé F. P., Sales, Manuela C., Montenegro, Mário, Moreira, Francisca
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10316/100126
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266776
Resumo: Blue and green ecosystems are considered a key for the improvement of cities sustainability, providing numerous ecosystem services and habitat for many species. However, urban streams are still neglected and degraded, specially in southern European countries. One important step towards the rehabilitation of these ecosystems is the awareness of their importance by citizens. This study aimed to assess the effect of 1-year of activities (field and laboratory) of an environmental education project on primary school children, in improving their knowledge on urban stream ecosystems and their problems. We analyzed students' questionnaires before and after field and laboratory activities, drawings and group interviews. Initially, most children had incipient contact with rivers and streams, showing fears and lack of knowledge about them. As the project progressed, their perceptions changed, with a clear increase in the proportion of students recognizing the biodiversity associated to rivers (e.g., names of riparian trees, aquatic plants and invertebrates). Also, their fears decreased significantly, while their awareness to the impacts of artificialization and lack of riparian vegetation increased. Our results show that direct contact with nature have a positive role in the way it is understood by children, as well as promoting responsible and sustainable behaviors, being effective from the early primary-school years.
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spelling Effect of environmental education on the knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and reconnection with nature in early childhoodAnimalsBiodiversityChildChild, PreschoolHumansInvertebratesTreesEcosystemRiversBlue and green ecosystems are considered a key for the improvement of cities sustainability, providing numerous ecosystem services and habitat for many species. However, urban streams are still neglected and degraded, specially in southern European countries. One important step towards the rehabilitation of these ecosystems is the awareness of their importance by citizens. This study aimed to assess the effect of 1-year of activities (field and laboratory) of an environmental education project on primary school children, in improving their knowledge on urban stream ecosystems and their problems. We analyzed students' questionnaires before and after field and laboratory activities, drawings and group interviews. Initially, most children had incipient contact with rivers and streams, showing fears and lack of knowledge about them. As the project progressed, their perceptions changed, with a clear increase in the proportion of students recognizing the biodiversity associated to rivers (e.g., names of riparian trees, aquatic plants and invertebrates). Also, their fears decreased significantly, while their awareness to the impacts of artificialization and lack of riparian vegetation increased. Our results show that direct contact with nature have a positive role in the way it is understood by children, as well as promoting responsible and sustainable behaviors, being effective from the early primary-school years.Funding: SRQS was financed by a post-doc grant in the Project "PHARA-ON: Pilots for Healthy and Active Ageing" funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (H2020-SC1-FA-DTS-2018-2); ARC by a posdoc grant of project RIVEAL - RIparian forest Values and Ecosystem services in uncertain freshwater futures and Altered Landscapes (LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-029790; FCT). MJF by FCT through Norma Transitória do DL 57/2016 changed by law 57/2017). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.PLOS2022info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://hdl.handle.net/10316/100126http://hdl.handle.net/10316/100126https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266776eng1932-6203Feio, Maria JoãoMantas, Ana IsabelSerra, Sónia R. Q.Calapez, Ana RaquelAlmeida, Salomé F. P.Sales, Manuela C.Montenegro, MárioMoreira, Franciscainfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAP2022-05-11T20:51:50Zoai:estudogeral.uc.pt:10316/100126Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T21:17:35.156344Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Effect of environmental education on the knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and reconnection with nature in early childhood
title Effect of environmental education on the knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and reconnection with nature in early childhood
spellingShingle Effect of environmental education on the knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and reconnection with nature in early childhood
Feio, Maria João
Animals
Biodiversity
Child
Child, Preschool
Humans
Invertebrates
Trees
Ecosystem
Rivers
title_short Effect of environmental education on the knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and reconnection with nature in early childhood
title_full Effect of environmental education on the knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and reconnection with nature in early childhood
title_fullStr Effect of environmental education on the knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and reconnection with nature in early childhood
title_full_unstemmed Effect of environmental education on the knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and reconnection with nature in early childhood
title_sort Effect of environmental education on the knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and reconnection with nature in early childhood
author Feio, Maria João
author_facet Feio, Maria João
Mantas, Ana Isabel
Serra, Sónia R. Q.
Calapez, Ana Raquel
Almeida, Salomé F. P.
Sales, Manuela C.
Montenegro, Mário
Moreira, Francisca
author_role author
author2 Mantas, Ana Isabel
Serra, Sónia R. Q.
Calapez, Ana Raquel
Almeida, Salomé F. P.
Sales, Manuela C.
Montenegro, Mário
Moreira, Francisca
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Feio, Maria João
Mantas, Ana Isabel
Serra, Sónia R. Q.
Calapez, Ana Raquel
Almeida, Salomé F. P.
Sales, Manuela C.
Montenegro, Mário
Moreira, Francisca
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv Animals
Biodiversity
Child
Child, Preschool
Humans
Invertebrates
Trees
Ecosystem
Rivers
topic Animals
Biodiversity
Child
Child, Preschool
Humans
Invertebrates
Trees
Ecosystem
Rivers
description Blue and green ecosystems are considered a key for the improvement of cities sustainability, providing numerous ecosystem services and habitat for many species. However, urban streams are still neglected and degraded, specially in southern European countries. One important step towards the rehabilitation of these ecosystems is the awareness of their importance by citizens. This study aimed to assess the effect of 1-year of activities (field and laboratory) of an environmental education project on primary school children, in improving their knowledge on urban stream ecosystems and their problems. We analyzed students' questionnaires before and after field and laboratory activities, drawings and group interviews. Initially, most children had incipient contact with rivers and streams, showing fears and lack of knowledge about them. As the project progressed, their perceptions changed, with a clear increase in the proportion of students recognizing the biodiversity associated to rivers (e.g., names of riparian trees, aquatic plants and invertebrates). Also, their fears decreased significantly, while their awareness to the impacts of artificialization and lack of riparian vegetation increased. Our results show that direct contact with nature have a positive role in the way it is understood by children, as well as promoting responsible and sustainable behaviors, being effective from the early primary-school years.
publishDate 2022
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2022
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10316/100126
http://hdl.handle.net/10316/100126
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266776
url http://hdl.handle.net/10316/100126
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0266776
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv 1932-6203
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instname_str Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
instacron_str RCAAP
institution RCAAP
reponame_str Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
collection Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
repository.name.fl_str_mv Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
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