Copyright (c) 2023 Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain the copyright without restrictions for their published content in this journal. HSSR is a SHERPA ROMEO Green Journal.
Publishing License
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of
PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS' AWARENESS ABOUT BIODIVERSITY: FOCUSING ON THEIR ABILITY TO IDENTIFY LOCAL FLORA
Corresponding Author(s) : Sadaf Jabeen
Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews,
Vol. 9 No. 2 (2021): March
Abstract
Purpose of the study: This research aimed to investigate the awareness level of Prospective elementary teachers about the Local Flora.
Methodology: Seventy prospective elementary school teachers from the Education faculty of two universities were targeted to collect data. An ad hoc questionnaire was developed to systematically assess the ability of ECT to identify name, type, and annual/biannual/all seasons and their reasons behind climate change. Gender-based analysis was carried out.
Main Findings: The results indicate that they have little ability to identify the native flora from the habitat in which they are living. Lawrence Garden, Racecourse Park, Shalimar Garden, and the University itself were considered native flora as this is the location of the research. Little awareness of the native flora was found to be an obstacle to its teaching and therefore to its conservation.
Recommendations based on the study: It is suggested that workshops and training courses for prospective teachers should be planned to enhance their ability to identify flora which would lead to its conservation later on.
Keywords
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)BibTeX
- Abbas, Q., Naveed, A., Ali, A., & Tahir, M. A. (2021). Elementary school teachers’ awareness and knowledge of biodiversity: a case study from Pakistan. Journal of Environmental Education, 52(3), 182-194.
- Aghamolaei, T., Shirazi, M., Dadgaran, I., Shahsavari, H., & Ghanbarnejad, A. (2014). Health students’ expectations of the ideal educational environment: a qualitative research. Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism, 2(4), 151–157.
- Almeida, A., García Fernández, B., & Silva, T. (2017). Changing Negative Perceptions of Animals Through Teaching Practice: A Research in Primary Education. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 16(4), 446–458. https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/17.16.446
- Al-Qayyim, I. (2007). Medicine of the Prophet. Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah.
- Basak, S. M., Hossain, M. S., O’Mahony, D. T., Okarma, H., Widera, E., & Wierzbowska, I. A. (2020). Public perceptions and attitudes toward urban wildlife encounters – A decade of change. Science of the Total Environment, 834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.155603
- Beery, T., & Jørgensen, K. A. (2018). Children in Nature: Sensory Engagement and the Experience of Biodiversity. Environmental Education Research, 24(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462 2.2016.1250149
- Bixler, R. D., Floyd, M. F., & Hammitt, W. E. (2002). Environmental Socialization Quantitative Tests of the Childhood Play Hypothesis. Environment and Behavior, 34(6), 795–818. https://doi.org/10.1177/001391602237248
- Bukhari, M. (n.d.). Sahih Bukhari. Retrieved from https://sunnah.com/bukhari/78/28
- Cox, D. T. C., & Gaston, K. J. (2015). Likeability of garden birds: Importance of species knowledge & richness in connecting people to nature. PLoS ONE, 10(11). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141505
- Díaz Encinas, J., & Fuentes Navarro, F. (2018). Development of the Environmental Consciousness in Children of Sixth Grade of Primary Education. Meanings and Perceptions. In Revista de Investigación Educativa. https://doi.org/10.25009/cpue.v0i26.2550
- Graham, E. (2020, September 2). Climate Disaster of Biblical Proportions’: Pakistan Minister Warns Flood Damage will Exceed $10 Billion. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/02/pakistan-warns-flood-damage-will-exceed-10-billion.html
- Grooten, M., Almond, R. E. A., & WWF (Organization). (2018). Living Planet Report 2018 : Aiming Higher.
- Hooykaas, M. J. D., Schilthuizen, M., Aten, C., Hemelaar, E. M., Albers, C. J., & Smeets, I. (2019). Identification skills in Biodiversity Professionals and Laypeople: A Gap in Species Literacy. Biological Conservation, 238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108202
- Karpas, Z. (2015). Analytical Chemistry of Uranium: Environmental, Forensic, Nuclear, and Toxicological Applications. In CRC. Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac60083a006
- Khan, M. A. (2007). Biodiversity of Pakistan: challenges and prospects. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 39(4), 1073-1083.
- Kvammen, P. I. (2015). Species Knowledge in Pre-Service Teacher Education: Experiences from and Educational Activity. LUMAT, 3(2), 201–212. https://doi.org/10.31129/lumat.v3i2.1043
- Leite, A. A., Oliveira De Andrade, M., & Dias Da Cruz, D. (2018). Environmental Perception of Teachers and Students about Solid Waste in a Public School of the Agrest Region of Paraíba. Rev. Eletrônica Mestr. Educ. Ambient. Rio Grande, 35(1), 58–75. https://doi.org/10.14295/remea.v35i1.7355
- Louv, R. (2010). Last Child in the Woods Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (June, Vol. 1). Atlantic Books.
- Martinez, B., Reaser, J. K., Dehgan, A., Zamft, B., Baisch, D., McCormick, C., Giordano, A. J., Aicher, R., & Selbe, S. (2020). Technology innovation: advancing capacities for the early detection of and rapid response to invasive species. In Biological Invasions (Vol. 22, Issue 1, pp. 75–100). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-02146-y
- Osborne. M. (2013). Modern Learning Environments. The CORE Education White Papers, April, 1–6.
- Palmberg, I., Berg, I., Jeronen, E., Kärkkäinen, S., Norrgård-Sillanpää, P., Persson, C., Vilkonis, R., & Yli-Panula, E. (2015). Nordic–Baltic Student Teachers’ Identification of and Interest in Plant and Animal Species: The Importance of Species Identification and Biodiversity for Sustainable Development. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 26(6), 549–571. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-015-9438-z
- Fihlani, P., & Fraser, S. (2020, September 7). Pakistan Floods: Biggest Lake Subsides Amid Race to Help Victims. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62811704
- Quran 6:38, Sahih International Translation. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://quran.com/6/38
- Rawat US, & Agarwal NK. (2015). Biodiversity: Concept, Threats and Conservation. Environment Conservation Journal, 16(3), 19–28. https://doi.org/10.36953/ECJ.2015.16303
- Riaz, A., Shaukat, S. S., & Rashid, U. (2016). Assessment of elementary teachers’ knowledge and attitudes towards biodiversity conservation in Pakistan. Environmental Education Research, 22(5), 698-716.
- Standish, R. J., Hobbs, R. J., & Miller, J. R. (2013). Improving city life: Options for ecological restoration in urban landscapes and how these might influence interactions between people and nature. Landscape Ecology, 28(6), 1213–1221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-012-9752-1
- Tsevreni, I. (2018). The ignorant environmental education teacher: students get empowered and teach philosophy of nature inspired by ancient Greek philosophy. Environmental Education Research, 24(1), 67–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2016.1249457
- Tuula H. Skarstein & Frode Skarstein (2020) Curious children and knowledgeable adults – early childhood student-teachers’ species identification skills and their views on the importance of species knowledge. International Journal of Science Education, 42(2), 310-328, https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2016.1249457
- UNEP. (2013). Quick guides to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (Vol. 2). www.cbd.int/nbsap
- UNICEF. (2020, September 9). Devastating Floods in Pakistan: One year after historic floods devastated Pakistan, UNICEF remains on the ground, working with partners to help children and families. 1. https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/devastating-floods-pakistan-2020
- Wolff, L. A., & Skarstein, T. H. (2020a). Species learning and biodiversity in early childhood teacher education. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093698
- Wolff, L. A., & Skarstein, T. H. (2020b). Species Learning and Biodiversity in Early Childhood Teacher education. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093698
- Yorek, N., Aydin, H., Ugulu, I., & Dogan, Y. (2008). An Investigation on Students’ Perception of Biodiversity. Natura montenegrina, podgorica, 7(3), 175–184.
References
Abbas, Q., Naveed, A., Ali, A., & Tahir, M. A. (2021). Elementary school teachers’ awareness and knowledge of biodiversity: a case study from Pakistan. Journal of Environmental Education, 52(3), 182-194.
Aghamolaei, T., Shirazi, M., Dadgaran, I., Shahsavari, H., & Ghanbarnejad, A. (2014). Health students’ expectations of the ideal educational environment: a qualitative research. Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism, 2(4), 151–157.
Almeida, A., García Fernández, B., & Silva, T. (2017). Changing Negative Perceptions of Animals Through Teaching Practice: A Research in Primary Education. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 16(4), 446–458. https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/17.16.446
Al-Qayyim, I. (2007). Medicine of the Prophet. Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah.
Basak, S. M., Hossain, M. S., O’Mahony, D. T., Okarma, H., Widera, E., & Wierzbowska, I. A. (2020). Public perceptions and attitudes toward urban wildlife encounters – A decade of change. Science of the Total Environment, 834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.155603
Beery, T., & Jørgensen, K. A. (2018). Children in Nature: Sensory Engagement and the Experience of Biodiversity. Environmental Education Research, 24(1), 13–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462 2.2016.1250149
Bixler, R. D., Floyd, M. F., & Hammitt, W. E. (2002). Environmental Socialization Quantitative Tests of the Childhood Play Hypothesis. Environment and Behavior, 34(6), 795–818. https://doi.org/10.1177/001391602237248
Bukhari, M. (n.d.). Sahih Bukhari. Retrieved from https://sunnah.com/bukhari/78/28
Cox, D. T. C., & Gaston, K. J. (2015). Likeability of garden birds: Importance of species knowledge & richness in connecting people to nature. PLoS ONE, 10(11). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141505
Díaz Encinas, J., & Fuentes Navarro, F. (2018). Development of the Environmental Consciousness in Children of Sixth Grade of Primary Education. Meanings and Perceptions. In Revista de Investigación Educativa. https://doi.org/10.25009/cpue.v0i26.2550
Graham, E. (2020, September 2). Climate Disaster of Biblical Proportions’: Pakistan Minister Warns Flood Damage will Exceed $10 Billion. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/02/pakistan-warns-flood-damage-will-exceed-10-billion.html
Grooten, M., Almond, R. E. A., & WWF (Organization). (2018). Living Planet Report 2018 : Aiming Higher.
Hooykaas, M. J. D., Schilthuizen, M., Aten, C., Hemelaar, E. M., Albers, C. J., & Smeets, I. (2019). Identification skills in Biodiversity Professionals and Laypeople: A Gap in Species Literacy. Biological Conservation, 238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108202
Karpas, Z. (2015). Analytical Chemistry of Uranium: Environmental, Forensic, Nuclear, and Toxicological Applications. In CRC. Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.1021/ac60083a006
Khan, M. A. (2007). Biodiversity of Pakistan: challenges and prospects. Pakistan Journal of Botany, 39(4), 1073-1083.
Kvammen, P. I. (2015). Species Knowledge in Pre-Service Teacher Education: Experiences from and Educational Activity. LUMAT, 3(2), 201–212. https://doi.org/10.31129/lumat.v3i2.1043
Leite, A. A., Oliveira De Andrade, M., & Dias Da Cruz, D. (2018). Environmental Perception of Teachers and Students about Solid Waste in a Public School of the Agrest Region of Paraíba. Rev. Eletrônica Mestr. Educ. Ambient. Rio Grande, 35(1), 58–75. https://doi.org/10.14295/remea.v35i1.7355
Louv, R. (2010). Last Child in the Woods Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (June, Vol. 1). Atlantic Books.
Martinez, B., Reaser, J. K., Dehgan, A., Zamft, B., Baisch, D., McCormick, C., Giordano, A. J., Aicher, R., & Selbe, S. (2020). Technology innovation: advancing capacities for the early detection of and rapid response to invasive species. In Biological Invasions (Vol. 22, Issue 1, pp. 75–100). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-02146-y
Osborne. M. (2013). Modern Learning Environments. The CORE Education White Papers, April, 1–6.
Palmberg, I., Berg, I., Jeronen, E., Kärkkäinen, S., Norrgård-Sillanpää, P., Persson, C., Vilkonis, R., & Yli-Panula, E. (2015). Nordic–Baltic Student Teachers’ Identification of and Interest in Plant and Animal Species: The Importance of Species Identification and Biodiversity for Sustainable Development. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 26(6), 549–571. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-015-9438-z
Fihlani, P., & Fraser, S. (2020, September 7). Pakistan Floods: Biggest Lake Subsides Amid Race to Help Victims. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62811704
Quran 6:38, Sahih International Translation. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://quran.com/6/38
Rawat US, & Agarwal NK. (2015). Biodiversity: Concept, Threats and Conservation. Environment Conservation Journal, 16(3), 19–28. https://doi.org/10.36953/ECJ.2015.16303
Riaz, A., Shaukat, S. S., & Rashid, U. (2016). Assessment of elementary teachers’ knowledge and attitudes towards biodiversity conservation in Pakistan. Environmental Education Research, 22(5), 698-716.
Standish, R. J., Hobbs, R. J., & Miller, J. R. (2013). Improving city life: Options for ecological restoration in urban landscapes and how these might influence interactions between people and nature. Landscape Ecology, 28(6), 1213–1221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-012-9752-1
Tsevreni, I. (2018). The ignorant environmental education teacher: students get empowered and teach philosophy of nature inspired by ancient Greek philosophy. Environmental Education Research, 24(1), 67–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2016.1249457
Tuula H. Skarstein & Frode Skarstein (2020) Curious children and knowledgeable adults – early childhood student-teachers’ species identification skills and their views on the importance of species knowledge. International Journal of Science Education, 42(2), 310-328, https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2016.1249457
UNEP. (2013). Quick guides to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (Vol. 2). www.cbd.int/nbsap
UNICEF. (2020, September 9). Devastating Floods in Pakistan: One year after historic floods devastated Pakistan, UNICEF remains on the ground, working with partners to help children and families. 1. https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/devastating-floods-pakistan-2020
Wolff, L. A., & Skarstein, T. H. (2020a). Species learning and biodiversity in early childhood teacher education. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093698
Wolff, L. A., & Skarstein, T. H. (2020b). Species Learning and Biodiversity in Early Childhood Teacher education. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093698
Yorek, N., Aydin, H., Ugulu, I., & Dogan, Y. (2008). An Investigation on Students’ Perception of Biodiversity. Natura montenegrina, podgorica, 7(3), 175–184.