TITLE:
The Teaching of Zoology. A Study of the Concepts of Students of Youth and Adult Education
AUTHORS:
Simone Paixão Araújo Pereira, Maria Helena da Silva Carneiro
KEYWORDS:
Education of Youth and Adults; Teaching Science; Conceptions; Insects
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.5 No.3,
February
15,
2014
ABSTRACT: This work is a study of previous conceptions of young students and
adults about the content relating to zoology, in particular insects. We
emphasize that the knowledge built by these students should be respected and considered as an important
variable in the process of teaching and learning of scientific and
technological knowledge. To explain the students’ prior knowledge on the
subject in question, we developed a questionnaire consisting of three
themes relating to animals: the general concept, the characterization of invertebrates and the relationships
established between insects and man. The data analysis allows us to state that
although the vast majority of students evidencing the role that insects play in
the ecological balance, still use common sense criteria to characterize them at
the expense of biological criteria. Our studies show that the initial
representations made by students about the concept of animal and, particularly,
insects showed once again the need to propose teaching activities that
facilitate the conceptual change from the confrontation of ideas and these
students with scientific knowledge.