Relationship between ecology fieldwork and student attitudes toward environmental protection

This article is a summary of research carried out on Spanish secondary scho ol students 14-16 years of age, with the intention of finding out what cont ributions fieldwork makes toward the understanding of concepts and principl es of ecology, and also to ascertain the effects of fieldwork on the defens e of the studied ecosystem. Before further research was conducted, an explo ratory study was carried out consisting of an initial diagnosis of the pupi ls' ideas; fieldwork materials were prepared and an ecology unit for the st udy of a freshwater ecosystem was designed, along with evaluation instrumen ts. The experimental design was given shape thanks to work done with two gr oups of students on whom a more exhaustive study was performed. The indepen dent variable consisted of a field trip; the dependent variable was the lea rning of ecological concepts and their application to the assessment of an environmental problem. The study combined qualitative and quantitative rese arch methods. A result of the research work was the conclusion that fieldwo rk helps clarify ecological concepts and intervenes directly in the develop ment of more favorable attitudes toward the defense of the ecosystem. Both components are seen when making valid judgments for the resolution of probl ems which negatively affect the ecosystem and for showing the way toward th e type of actions and solutions which should be adopted. (C) 1999 John Wile y & Sons, Inc.