Adolescent decision-making about biological conservation issues
Adolescent decision-making about biological conservation issues
The conservation of biodiversity is an important socio-scientific issue, often regarded as a precondition to sustainable development. Effective conservation management requires joint consideration of the underlying scientific concepts and closely connected human values. The foundation for citizens’ understanding of conservation issues is laid down in formal school education.
This research focuses on the views of 15-16 year old pupils about the importance of biological conservation, explores the concepts and values they draw upon during semi-supported decision-making discussions, and attempts to identify features of high quality discussions that science teachers might recognize and nurture in their classrooms.
Findings reveal how important pupils regard the extinction of species in relation to economic development, and where they draw the line in conserving different types of living organisms. Some of these views appear to be gender-related. Results also indicate the realistic and positive value of having pupils take part in short decision-making discussions about conservation issues, guided by a structured framework, as part of their normal science classroom activities. Pupils increase their quality of argumentation, and modify their solutions to the issues. The study also begins to uncover features about pupils, as individuals and as members of discussion groups, which can be associated with high quality decision-making about conservation issues, and which teachers might realistically identify. The work calls for the need to cultivate these features, and integrate them appropriately with learning about the scientific concepts that underpin the theory and practice of conservation management. Such integration will facilitate the development of teaching strategies for dealing effectively with the complex topic of biological conservation; not just in terms of content, but in terms of how pupils are expected to engage with the issues.
University of Southampton
Grace, Marcus Matthew
f85193f4-d486-41ef-b537-0ccf24c66248
2005
Grace, Marcus Matthew
f85193f4-d486-41ef-b537-0ccf24c66248
Grace, Marcus Matthew
(2005)
Adolescent decision-making about biological conservation issues.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
The conservation of biodiversity is an important socio-scientific issue, often regarded as a precondition to sustainable development. Effective conservation management requires joint consideration of the underlying scientific concepts and closely connected human values. The foundation for citizens’ understanding of conservation issues is laid down in formal school education.
This research focuses on the views of 15-16 year old pupils about the importance of biological conservation, explores the concepts and values they draw upon during semi-supported decision-making discussions, and attempts to identify features of high quality discussions that science teachers might recognize and nurture in their classrooms.
Findings reveal how important pupils regard the extinction of species in relation to economic development, and where they draw the line in conserving different types of living organisms. Some of these views appear to be gender-related. Results also indicate the realistic and positive value of having pupils take part in short decision-making discussions about conservation issues, guided by a structured framework, as part of their normal science classroom activities. Pupils increase their quality of argumentation, and modify their solutions to the issues. The study also begins to uncover features about pupils, as individuals and as members of discussion groups, which can be associated with high quality decision-making about conservation issues, and which teachers might realistically identify. The work calls for the need to cultivate these features, and integrate them appropriately with learning about the scientific concepts that underpin the theory and practice of conservation management. Such integration will facilitate the development of teaching strategies for dealing effectively with the complex topic of biological conservation; not just in terms of content, but in terms of how pupils are expected to engage with the issues.
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Published date: 2005
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Local EPrints ID: 465681
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/465681
PURE UUID: 37319f77-26d7-4153-91c1-9f8fb2a5772d
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Date deposited: 05 Jul 2022 02:33
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 20:19
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Author:
Marcus Matthew Grace
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