A University of Reading, BSc Ecology and Wildlife undergraduate student is completing a research project, investigating:
Plants in primary education: Assessing how plant awareness disparity in primary school students can be improved and gaining insight of the perspectives of teachers.
The aim of the research project is to understand plant awareness in primary students through using plants to teach topics in the year 6 curriculum. Secondly, this project aims to understand approaches and perspectives to teaching plant science and how plant science in primary education can be improved.
The research project requires input from primary school teachers, to please complete a short survey.
For more information please contact Hebe Everington h.r.everington@student.reading.ac.uk
Science outreach and Communication Undergraduate Projects
Participant information sheet
Plants in primary education: Assessing how plant awareness disparity in primary school students can be improved and gaining insight of the perspectives of teachers.
Project Aims
You are being invited to participate in this study as part of a final year research project at The University of Reading. The aim of this research project is to understand primary students plant awareness through using plants to teach topics in the year 6 curriculum. Secondly, this research project aims to understand approaches and perspectives to teaching plant science and how plant science in primary education can be improved. This questionnaire is aimed at primary school teachers who teach science. This questionnaire looks to understand approaches to teaching plant science, opinions about plants in education, the resources available for teaching and how plant science can be made more interesting. At the end of this questionnaire there is an informative poster about the topic. Completion of the survey is entirely voluntary and anonymous.
Academic Purpose of the Project
This project will explore plant awareness in primary education and assess if a lesson using plants and a workbook to teach evolution and adaptation effectively enhances learning. This project will also investigate the perspectives of teachers to teaching plant science and the resources available. This information will allow for a better understanding of how plant science can be developed in the curriculum.
Previous research has highlighted the lack of plant science taught at primary, secondary and degree level. Alongside this, opportunity for real life interactions with plants is increasingly limited with UK children spending less time in nature. A lack of interest in plant science, plant awareness disparity is also shown defined as students not noticing or appreciating plants in their environment. There is a lack of understanding of the perspectives of teachers on plants in primary education, how plant science can be developed in the primary curriculum and the use of plants in the classroom. It is essential that botanical education is improved so future generations have the skills needed to conserve biodiversity and understand the importance to plants in our everyday lives.
Data use and Storage
The project has been reviewed by the appropriate Research Ethics Committee and has been given a favourable ethical opinion for conduct. This questionnaire is to be filled in anonymously and any sensitive questions have a ‘prefer not to say’ option if this is information you don’t wish to give. This data will be processed to provide information regarding the study. This information will be used as part of a final year project, which will be presented as part of a dissertation. All data will be anonymised and will be password protected in computer files. Responses from the electronic survey will be stored anonymously in a private account, which will be password protected for 5 years. After 5 years the data is deleted.
Completed questionnaires.
Online surveys will be automatically returned to the researcher by clicking ‘’finish’’ at the end of the questionnaire. You have the right to withdraw participation at any time.
Contact
Participants are welcome to contact us if they have any questions.
Research Student: Hebe Everington h.reverington@student.reading.ac.uk
University Supervisor: Dr Jonathan Mitchley j.mitchley@reading.ac.uk