Browsing by Subject "lajintuntemus"

Tiivistelmä - Referat - Abstract Previous research about students becoming primary school teachers has shown, that student’s species identification skills are quite weak. However, species identification skills and species knowledge are important expertise because primary school teachers are supposed to teach their pupils to identify species. Species knowledge and positive connectedness to the nature have an important role in environmental and biology education because there is a connection between them and the ability to understand biodiversity. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the perception of species and species identification skills of student teachers, who in the future should teach pupils in primary schools and secondary schools. Secondary school teachers major in biology. The purpose of this study was to find out, how teacher student groups perceive plants and is there differences between groups of students in the ways of perception and ability to use species knowledge in applied tasks. A total of ten student teachers, five primary school student teachers and five secondary school student teachers attended to study, which was implemented as part of Helsinki university’s Cultivating Expertise in Learning of Life Sciences- project. Data was collected by eye tracking tools, connectedness to nature scale, species identification tests and applied task. Analysis of statistical data was used. Primary school teacher student`s identification skills of plants turned out to be weak and especially weaker than skills of secondary school teacher students. The results showed that there are some differences, where two student groups lay their perception when looking at plants. Primary school teacher students looked more often at some specific parts of the plant than secondary school teachers. Secondary school teacher students examined plants more systematic way: they looked at more parts of the plants than primary school teacher students. Secondary school teacher students also used longer time on the pictures. Connectedness to the nature and species identification skills did not affect the time used in perception or scores of the applied task. These results verify previous research results. Primary school teacher students should get in the university guidance to the perception and identification of different species and give some tools to learn from and teach in the nature.

Biodiversity loss threatens also human well-being on Earth. There is only little research on teachers' interest and competence in implementing biodiversity education. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the species identification skills of student teachers and their interest in learning about different kinds of species. In addition, the aim was to create an understanding of what kind of conceptions student teachers have about the importance of species knowledge for teachers, learners, and sustainable development. A total of 19 early childhood teacher and primary teacher students responded to an online questionnaire that included a species identification test. Information about students interest and conceptions related to species knowledge was also collected. The thesis is a case study where descriptive data analysis was used in the analysis of the statistical data. Theory-guided content analysis was used in the analysis of the qualitative data. The results showed that student teachers identify common bird species quite well, plant species less well, and butterfly species poorly. Student teachers were interested in species knowledge in general, but interest in different species groups varied. Student teachers found bird, plant, butterfly, fungus, and fish species more interesting than bat, amphibian, spider, and beetle species. Student teachers consider species knowledge important for teachers, learners, and sustainable development. Student teachers’ conceptions about the importance of species knowledge for teachers formed six meaning categories: teaching species knowledge, learning together, exemplary triggering of interest, taking care of safety, answering children’s questions, and addressing biodiversity and sustainable development. As for conceptions about the importance of species knowledge for learners, nine meaning categories were formed: common knowledge, triggering of interest, know-how to operate in nature, understanding of biodiversity, understanding the environment, sustainable lifestyle, perceptual ability, worldview, and desire to act. Conceptions about the importance of species knowledge for sustainable development formed four meaning categories: understanding nature, appreciating nature, being aware of threats, and conserving the essential. Teacher education must provide diverse education in species knowledge in order to develop student teachers' competence as biodiversity educators.