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Species Learning and Biodiversity in Early Childhood Teacher Education

Author

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  • Lili-Ann Wolff

    (Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Helsinki, PB 9, 00014 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Tuula H. Skarstein

    (Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Stavanger, 4036 Stavanger, Norway)

Abstract

To understand biodiversity, it is crucial to have knowledge of different species and their life conditions. Biodiversity learning for children starts with observing plants and animals in the neighbourhood. Therefore, it is important that early childhood (EC) teachers know the local nature. There are few studies on species knowledge among EC student teachers but results from a Norwegian study show that although EC student teachers had poor species knowledge when entering university, their knowledge increased remarkably during their studies. Based on these results, the current study investigates the implementation of species learning in an EC teacher education course in Finland. Our aim was to study the student teachers’ species identification skills, their views on the importance of species knowledge, and their experiences of species learning. The study used a mixed-methods approach and included species identification tests, a questionnaire, learning diaries, and focus group interviews. The results show that the student teachers were eager to learn about species. They found species learning important both for EC teachers and for sustainability, and they appreciated learning about species in a broad sense, from personal, educational, and social perspectives. Our conclusion is that implementing species knowledge in EC teacher education promotes an interest in the natural world and may form a significant contribution to nature and sustainability education for EC teachers.

Suggested Citation

  • Lili-Ann Wolff & Tuula H. Skarstein, 2020. "Species Learning and Biodiversity in Early Childhood Teacher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-19, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:9:p:3698-:d:353581
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Irmeli Palmberg & Sirpa Kärkkäinen & Eila Jeronen & Eija Yli-Panula & Christel Persson, 2019. "Nordic Student Teachers’ Views on the Most Efficient Teaching and Learning Methods for Species and Species Identification," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-19, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Abramowicz Dawid & Tritt Remigiusz & Bąk Mariusz & Dóniz-Páez Javier, 2022. "Methodological Framework for Geodiversity Application in Geographic Education from a Case Study of Canary Islands, Spain," Quaestiones Geographicae, Sciendo, vol. 41(1), pages 79-91, March.
    2. Kezban Özgem & Umut Akçıl, 2022. "An Investigation of Preschool Level Out-of-Class Education Activities in Finland, Estonia, Ireland, and Turkey within the Framework of 21st Century Skills," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-15, July.
    3. Francisco Javier Robles-Moral & Manuel Fernández-Díaz & Gabriel Enrique Ayuso-Fernández, 2022. "What Do Pre-Service Preschool Teachers Know about Biodiversity at the Level of Organisms? Preliminary Analysis of Their Ability to Identify Vertebrate Animals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-11, September.

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