In order to name and classify a plant they see, children use their existing
mental models to provide the plant with a name and classification. In this
study pupils of a range of ages (5, 8, 10, and 14 years old) were presente
d with preserved specimens of six different plants (strictly, five plants a
nd a fungus) and asked a series of questions about them. Their responses in
dicate that pupils of all ages mainly recognise and use anatomical features
when naming the plants and explaining why they are what they are. However,
older pupils are more likely to also use habitat features. For both girls
and boys, the home and direct observation are more important sources of kno
wledge than school, TV, videos, CD-Roms, or books, although TV, videos, CD-
Roms, and books seem more important for boys than for girls. As pupils age,
their reasons for grouping plants become more complicated: in addition to
relying on shared anatomical and habitat features, they begin to show evide
nce of a knowledge of taxonomy and use this knowledge to group plants.