Integrating cognitive and emotional goals in environmental education program significantly improved affinity toward natureThe aim of this study was to determine if children’s negative emotions or aversion towards nature (biophobia) can be changed to affinity towards nature (biophilia) through an environmental education program. For purposes of this study, the honey bee was chosen as the focus of the environmental program, as honey bees tend to be feared and misunderstood by many people. The honey bee was also chosen because of its invaluable contributions to life on earth.
The environmental program developed for this research consisted of six 2-hour lessons and was implemented over a period of three weeks with 104 third-grade students from an elementary school in Seoul, South Korea. The lessons included short lectures on important ecological aspects of honey bees as well as several different experiential learning activities, such as making a wax candle, observing a hive, and tasting different kinds of honey.
The pupils completed a pretest (T1) a week before the program implementation, a posttest (T2) at the end of the program, and a retention test (T3) eight weeks later. The pre-test included items assessing students’ preconceptions and emotions relating to bees prior to the program implementation. All three versions of the test (T1, T2, T3) included adaptations of two scales measuring affinity towards nature: Inclusion of Nature in Self (INS) and Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS). At the end of the program, the students were also asked to draw a picture of what came to mind when they thought of the honey bee.
Assessment results showed that many students had misunderstandings and negative feelings about bees, including fear of bees, before the program. In fact, 56% of their stated emotions were negative versus positive or neutral. When asked about having been stung by a bee, none of the students had this experience. Biophilic scores -- as measured by the INS and CNS and as indicated by the students’ drawings -- showed that students’ affinity for nature was greater after the program than before.
This research suggests that environmental education programs can be effective in helping students overcome fear of insects and biophobia. Such programs can also revive or enhance their biophilia. Programs relying on knowledge development only, however, may not achieve the same desired results as programs that integrate both cognitive and affective experiences.
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