Science learning at the zoo: Evaluating children's developing understanding of animals and their habitats

This study investigated the development of new ideas about animals, habitats and the zoo amongst a sample of pupils attending ZSL London Zoo. Results indicate the potential of educational presentations based around zoo visits, for enabling conceptual transformations relating to environmental science. At the same time, the research highlights the vital role of existing cultural representations of different animals and habitats which are confronted by the new ideas introduced during educational visits to the zoo.

Zoos
 attract
 hundreds
 of
 millions 
of
 visitors
 every 
year 
worldwide
–
many 
of 
them
 children.
 In
 the
 UK,
 hundreds
 of
 thousands
 of
 school
 children
 visit
 zoos
 every
 year.
 Thus,
 the
 zoo
 is
 a
 key
 institution 
for
publics 
engaging
 with 
live
 animals 
and
 environmental
 education. 
However,
 zoos
 have
 recently
 come 
under
 ethical
 criticism 
linked
 to 
the 
claim 
that 
they 
have
 negligible
 or 
even
 negative
 educational
 impact.
 While
 there
 is
 some
 evidence
 of
 positive
 outcomes
 for
 adult
 zoo
 visitors,
 there 
is
 very 
little
 prior
 research
 available 
to 
answer 
such 
criticisms 
when 
it
 comes 
to
 children.
 To
 address
 these
 issues,
 a
 study
 was 
conducted
 using
 a
 mixed
 methods
 survey,
 which
 included
 a
 key
 visual
 component
 designed
 to
 track
 changes
 in
 children’s
 representations
 of
 animals
 over
 the
 course
 of
 a
 school
 visit
 to
 the
 zoo.
 Specifically,
 the
 study
 investigated
 the
 development
 of
 new
 ideas
 about
 animals,
 habitats
 and
 the
 zoo
 amongst
 a
 sample
 of
 pupils
 attending
 ZSL
 London
 Zoo.
 Results
 indicate
 the
 potential
 of
 educational
 presentations
 based
 around
 zoo
 visits,
 for
 enabling 
conceptual
 transformations 
relating 
to 
environmental 
science.
 At
 the
 same
 time,
 the
 research
 highlights
 the
 vital
 role
 of
 existing
 cultural
 representations
 of
 different
 animals
 and
 habitats
 which
 are
 confronted
 by
 the
 new
 ideas
 introduced
 during
 educational
 visits 
to 
the 
zoo.