‘Loveable’ mammals and ‘lifeless’ plants: how children's interest in common local organisms can be enhanced through observation of nature

Abstract

This study investigated which plants and animals Swiss children found most attractive and evaluated the effect of an educational programme on children's preferences for species. More than 4000 pupils (8–16 years old) from 248 classes participated in the study. Possible effects of the programme were studied with the help of questionnaires using a pretest/post‐test design with an experimental group that participated in the programme and a control group that did not. Before the start of the programme most children found decorative or garden species among plants, and pets and exotic species among animals, most attractive. However, the more wild plants and animals children noticed in their local environment and could name, the more did they appreciate these organisms. Moreover, the more additional wild plants the children noticed due to the programme, the higher was the increase in their appreciation of these species. This supports the hypothesis that children may appreciate animals other than pets and exotic species and even inconspicuous wild plants if they know them.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank all teachers and pupils for their time and effort in participating in the study, and the Swiss conservation organization ‘Pro Natura’ for their support. The author also wants to thank Diethart Matthies for valuable comments on an earlier version of this article.

Notes

* Institut für Unweltwissenschaften, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH‐8057 Zürich, Switzerland. Email: [email protected]

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Petra Lindemann‐Matthies *

* Institut für Unweltwissenschaften, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH‐8057 Zürich, Switzerland. Email: [email protected]