ERIC Number: EJ1108700
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Dec
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1305-8223
EISSN: N/A
Effectiveness of Reptile Species Identification--A Comparison of a Dichotomous Key with an Identification Book
Randler, Christoph; Zehender, Irene
EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, v2 n3 p55-65 Dec 2006
Species identification tasks are a prerequisite for an understanding of biodiversity. Here, we focused on different educational materials to foster the identification of six European reptile species. Our educational training unit was based on natural plastic models of six species and pupils either used an illustrated identification book or a dichotomous key. 71 secondary school pupils (6th graders) from four classes participated in our study and received a hands-on lesson about the identification of these species. 37 of them were aided by an identification book, and 34 received a dichotomous key. We found a significant increase in identification skills immediately after and with a delay of four weeks in both treatment groups. Further, we found no differences in achievement between both groups nor did we detect differences in the emotional variables (well-being, interest, boredom) or in the difficulty of the task. We propose that species identification should be taught in everyday school life using models and identification materials that allow a learner-centred environment.
Descriptors: Science Instruction, Animals, Teaching Methods, Books, Illustrations, Secondary School Students, Grade 6, Hands on Science, Identification, Science Achievement, Well Being, Student Interests, Difficulty Level, Models, Student Centered Learning, Pictorial Stimuli, Classification, Foreign Countries, Pretests Posttests, Recall (Psychology), Quasiexperimental Design, Comparative Analysis
EURASIA. Gazi Egitim Fakultesi, K Blok 210, Teknikokullar, Ankara, 06500 Turkey. Tel: +90-312-202-8192; Fax: +90-312-222-8483; e-mail: editor.eurasiajournal@gmail.com; Web site: http://www.ejmste.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A