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Asia-Pacific
Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 6, Issue 2, Article
5 (Dec., 2005) Murat GÖKDERE A study on environmental knowledge level of primary students in Turkey
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Asia-Pacific
Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 6, Issue 2, Article
5 (Dec., 2005) Murat GÖKDERE A study on environmental knowledge level of primary students in Turkey
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Results
The results of this study should be interpreted with caution because our sample was drawn from a medium settlement area only, and this homogeneous sample limits generalizations.
Children are not exactly aware of plant species in their living environment. The evidence is that answers of 564 children were limited with eighth plant species. When look at the plant species selected by children, intensity of plants growing in this region such as hazelnut trees, cabbage and corn attract the most attention. Our results showed that environmental factors affected children's environmental knowledge level. We also understood that if we provided richer environment and learning material for children in their life, it would enhance children's environmental knowledge.
When answers relevant with animal species are examined, it is seen that animal species increase compare to plants species number. Children's choices mainly concentrated on fish, anchovy and dog. Take into the kind of settlement centers; bird (108) settled in city centers, dog (86) settled in town and cows (86) settled in village are selected. These data show that the most concrete sample of the effect of living environment on environmental knowledge
Children are given wrong answer to question required making selection (4, 5, 6. items) from suggested responses. Over 50% of children's answers (530 answers) of question required to make selection (4, 5, 6. items) are wrong answer. From the data, it was understood that there are deficiency of children knowledge about source of energy. The other important subject that most of the wrong answers given by students in city and town.
First condition for a living world is clears an environment. If students do not have efficiency knowledge about factors that harmed and polluted the environment, they can damage their living environment. On the contrary, they can make contribution for protecting environment. It is positive case that answers the questions concerned this issue is true at important ratio (586/682). These data shows that children in our samples group have efficiency knowledge level about environment pollution.
It is seen that there is a high ratio (534/600) of true answer the question related to factors that harmful for environment. When answers are investigated according to species of settlement centers, there was not clearly difference in city centers, town and village. This data indicated that children are aware of harmful factors for natural environment at considerable grade. Food chain is one of the most important components for natural life. If some factors are interfered on nature, structure of nature can go to bad. As a result imbalance occurs in nature life (OEDB, 1990).
Members of society must be aware of importance of food chain and he is not interfered for this chain. An important ratio (460/600) of answers is focus on role of hunters on breaking the food (Ecological) chain. But children do not aware of negative effects of other harmful factors as farmers and workers. Children do not select choice of farmers in village. It is thought that these wrong answers resulted from the interference which is a part of their normal life.
Copyright (C) 2005 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 6, Issue 2, Article 5 (Dec., 2005). All Rights Reserved.
