Plants Are Not Boring, School Botany Is
The quality of botanical education depends on the quality and interests of the teacher. The aim of our paper was to conduct an initial study on the attitudes of primary and secondary school teachers about plants and botany. We initiated a study in which 211 biology and 168 teachers of different subj...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-05-01
|
| Series: | Education Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/13/5/489 |
| _version_ | 1797406321048289280 |
|---|---|
| author | Nataša Kletečki Dario Hruševar Božena Mitić Andrej Šorgo |
| author_facet | Nataša Kletečki Dario Hruševar Božena Mitić Andrej Šorgo |
| author_sort | Nataša Kletečki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The quality of botanical education depends on the quality and interests of the teacher. The aim of our paper was to conduct an initial study on the attitudes of primary and secondary school teachers about plants and botany. We initiated a study in which 211 biology and 168 teachers of different subjects, from primary to secondary schools in Croatia, participated on a voluntary basis. Statistical analysis was processed using jamovi 2.3 software. Teachers of all profiles (biology and others) had similar attitudes: high opinion about the importance of plants for life and education but not about school botany; botany was in the middle of their scale for potential exclusion from education. The last part of the survey referred only to biology teachers and their interests and suggestions for increasing the attractiveness of botany as a subject. The results showed that botany was the least popular, and within it, teachers were most interested in ecology and horticulture. They suggested that botany would be more interesting with active teaching methods and references to everyday contexts; however, it remains unclear why that is so, as the level of autonomy they are given does enable them to introduce such changes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:23:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aec78b7a3c5c4e2ca11e9a9511e675e7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:23:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-aec78b7a3c5c4e2ca11e9a9511e675e72023-12-03T15:04:49ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022023-05-0113548910.3390/educsci13050489Plants Are Not Boring, School Botany IsNataša Kletečki0Dario Hruševar1Božena Mitić2Andrej Šorgo3Elementary School Bogumil Toni, Perkovčeva 90, HR-10430 Samobor, CroatiaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, HR-10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, HR-10000 Zagreb, CroatiaDepartment of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroška Cesta 160, Sl-2000 Maribor, SloveniaThe quality of botanical education depends on the quality and interests of the teacher. The aim of our paper was to conduct an initial study on the attitudes of primary and secondary school teachers about plants and botany. We initiated a study in which 211 biology and 168 teachers of different subjects, from primary to secondary schools in Croatia, participated on a voluntary basis. Statistical analysis was processed using jamovi 2.3 software. Teachers of all profiles (biology and others) had similar attitudes: high opinion about the importance of plants for life and education but not about school botany; botany was in the middle of their scale for potential exclusion from education. The last part of the survey referred only to biology teachers and their interests and suggestions for increasing the attractiveness of botany as a subject. The results showed that botany was the least popular, and within it, teachers were most interested in ecology and horticulture. They suggested that botany would be more interesting with active teaching methods and references to everyday contexts; however, it remains unclear why that is so, as the level of autonomy they are given does enable them to introduce such changes.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/13/5/489botanical educationCroatiaplant awarenessplant blindnessprimary and secondary school teachers |
| spellingShingle | Nataša Kletečki Dario Hruševar Božena Mitić Andrej Šorgo Plants Are Not Boring, School Botany Is Education Sciences botanical education Croatia plant awareness plant blindness primary and secondary school teachers |
| title | Plants Are Not Boring, School Botany Is |
| title_full | Plants Are Not Boring, School Botany Is |
| title_fullStr | Plants Are Not Boring, School Botany Is |
| title_full_unstemmed | Plants Are Not Boring, School Botany Is |
| title_short | Plants Are Not Boring, School Botany Is |
| title_sort | plants are not boring school botany is |
| topic | botanical education Croatia plant awareness plant blindness primary and secondary school teachers |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/13/5/489 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT natasakletecki plantsarenotboringschoolbotanyis AT dariohrusevar plantsarenotboringschoolbotanyis AT bozenamitic plantsarenotboringschoolbotanyis AT andrejsorgo plantsarenotboringschoolbotanyis |