Children's learning preferences for the development of conservation education programs in Mexican communities

ABSTRACT

Learning theories are rarely considered in the design of conservation education programs in Mexico. However, if students are taught in a way in which they can easily relate, this could improve the educational experience through better attitudes toward the natural environment. The learning preferences of 354 Mexican children at the primary level were evaluated to identify the effect of context (rural or urban) and gender on learning preferences. Statistical differences related to the children's context and gender-associated context were found. The authors discuss different discourses of critical thinking and experiential education, the predominance of traditional education found in rural communities, and how conservation education could enrich these processes. Studying how children learn can provide valuable information for the development of effective conservation education programs, establishing a dialogue about learners' strengths and weaknesses, enhancing their participation, and empowering them to take action.

KEYWORDS:

• Community work
• conservation education
• elementary school
• learning preferences
• Mexico

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Secretaría de Educación Pública from all states involved. The authors are also grateful to the children, teachers, and school principals who participated in this study. Without their support, they could not have done this research. The authors especially thank Mary F. Heller, Lisa Vernon-Dotson, and two anonymous consulting editors who commented extensively on improving this manuscript. They extend their deepest gratitude to Lucía Jorge Sales and John Aristizabal for their support during fieldwork activities. Thank you to Álvaro González for his assistance in the statistical aspects of this study. As well as Marlenne Rodríguez Malagón, Maria Lay, and Sergi López-Torres for their valuable suggestions and discussions on this manuscript. Thank you to Pilar Carbó-Mantila for language editing and to Adriana Sandoval-Comte who helped with mapping.

Additional information

Funding

Thanks to Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT, Mexico) for the scholarship for MFS (N 556384), Instituto de Ecología, A.C (INECOL, A.C, Mexico), and to JCSS for financial support.