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International Journal of Modern Education Research

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Attitudes of School Children in Germany, Costa Rica and Ukraine Towards Invertebrates - A Comparison

International Journal of Modern Education Research
Vol.4 , No. 2, Publication Date: Aug. 23, 2017, Page: 6-9

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Authors

[1]	Jürgen Drissner, Botanical Garden, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
[2]	Hanna Krimm, Botanical Garden, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
[3]	Katrin Hille, Transfercenter for Neuroscience and Learning, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.

Abstract

Negative feelings towards and an insufficient awareness of invertebrates seem to be culturally universal and can be found in different countries and continents. To better understand the underlying mechanisms we want to compare the attitudes of school children in Germany, Costa Rica and Ukraine towards invertebrates. The sample of the study comprised a total of 228 school children (grade 6); 50 Costa Rican, 91 German and 87 Ukrainian students. Attitudes towards small animals such as beetles, wood lice, centipedes or spiders were assessed with the help of a semantic differential. Altogether students marked their choices between 13 bipolar adjective pairs that focused on the perceived value of animals and the emotions towards them. Only 2 of the 13 bipolar adjective pairs showed significant differences. German and Costa Rican students rated the invertebrates generally less weird in comparison with the Ukrainian school children. Furthermore Costa Rican students rated the invertebrates most precious.

Keywords

Attitudes Towards Invertebrates, Small Animals, Invertebrates, Insects, Environmental Attitudes

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