Pre-service teachers’ opinions about the reintroduction of the wild goat, brown bear and Iberian lynx in Portugal

Humans have been responsible for the extinction of several species, at least, since 50 000 years ago. This negative action on biodiversity increased with the industrial revolution in the XVIII century and since then many anthropic activities have mutilated the ecosystems, especially in their dimension and fragmentation, and also in the changes of species present. Mammals with weight higher than 45 kilos (99 pounds), or even smaller, were the first to be extinct, because they are in any way more sensitive to human action. To oppose to this reality, ecosystems restoration and species reintroductions were improved in several world regions in the last decades, not without some controversial issues.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perceptions of animals in primary school children

This study aimed to verify the perceptions of animals in 88 children, aged between 8 and 10, attending the 3rd and 4th years in primary school. To this end, a questionnaire was applied, with a seven point like/dislike scale for twenty five animals also inquiring about the reasons for the ranking attributed. The dog, the horse, the tortoise, the sparrow and the butterfly received the best rakings places; the cockroach, the mosquito, the snake, the mouse and the bee got the worst ones. More opposite opinions were expressed about the bat, the mouse, the boar, the wolf and the shark. Because the reasons given by children frequently reflect the lack of knowledge about certain behaviours of the animals and of their ecological role, some suggestions are made to change some of the bad perceptions that children have about the animals with the lowest ranking.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Actitudes y hábitos de estudio en ciencias naturales : validación de una escala y su utilización práctica

En este artículo se presenta un instrumento sobre actitudes y hábitos de estudio en Ciencias (Escala de Estrategias de Estudio en Ciencias naturales -3ECN) así como los estudios realizados para su validación. Destinada a alumnos con edades comprendidas entre los 11 y los 15 años, la 3ECN fue construida y validada con la fi nalidad de ayudar al profesor a diagnosticar las estrategias de estudio de sus alumnos. Los estudios de fi abilidad y de validez realizados nos permitieron legitimar la elección de tres dimensiones de evaluación. En función de los resultados obtenidos, juzgamos que los profesores pueden disponer de un instrumento, aunque no exclusivo, que les posibilite evidenciar qué alumnos presentan mayores difi cultades en sus tareas de estudio y aprendizaje de ciencias.In this article we present an instrument of evaluation of studying methods in Sciences (3SNS - Scale of Studying Strategies in Natural Science), as well as the studies undertaken to its validation. The Scale is directed to pupils between 11 and 15 years old, and has the intention of helping the teachers to diagnose the studying methods of the pupils. The undertaken studies allow us to say that the 3SNS includes three fundamental dimensions. We think the Scale is an excellent instrument, although not exclusive, to be used by the teachers to evaluate which students have more diffi culties when studying and learning Sciences

Biocentric reasoning in children: implications in science and environmental education

This study aimed to verify the incidence of biocentric reasoning (centred on the welfare of the animals) in 91 children, aged between 8 and 10, attending the 3rd and 4th years in a primary school of Lisbon, Portugal, and is the continuity of another study promoted by the authors. To do that, a questionnaire was applied, inquiring about the type of places where the children contact with animals and their opinion about the human behaviour in three different situations involving animals (dilemmas). The results have shown that the majority of children had a small contact with natural and semi-natural places, and the majority only went to places where nature is managed, like zoos and similar parks. This experience seems to be responsible for inappropriate ideas about zoos, considered by some children the ideal place to keep wild animals because there they are well treated and safer from predators. However, and globally, the incidence of biocentric reasoning in the dilemmas is high, proving its increasing in situations in which human action is considered selfish or inappropriate, but it also is affected by the species presented (the empathy factor seems to be important as well). Implications of these results for Science and Environmental Education are also discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

O desbaste da colecção : um adjuvante da leitura?

O objectivo desta comunicação é demonstrar que uma colecção sujeita a um desbaste criteriosamente efectuado favorece a leitura. A cada vez maior utilização da Biblioteca Escolar, a par com a criação do Plano Nacional de Leitura (PNL) nos 1º, 2º e 3º Ciclos e com a obrigatoriedade de se estabelecerem Contratos de Leitura, a nível da disciplina de Português, no Ensino Secundário vêm necessariamente provocar alterações na constituição, desenvolvimento e gestão dos fundos documentais. Este facto realçou a necessidade de se proceder à avaliação sistemática da colecção da BE, tornando-se fundamental a implementação de uma Política de Desenvolvimento de Colecções. Esta “Política” vai, entre outros aspectos, estabelecer princípios claros e fundamentados para a acção de selecção, encontrando-se este processo na base de duas actividades complementares: a aquisição e o desbaste. É sobre este último procedimento e sobre as suas implicações na optimização da gestão da colecção – nomeadamente na organização do espaço e na recuperação da informação --, que nos propomos debruçar nesta comunicação. Complementaremos esta reflexão com a apresentação de um estudo empírico realizado num conjunto de bibliotecas escolares portuguesas e que teve como objectivo perceber e explicar as atitudes dos responsáveis pela colecção relativamente ao desbaste da mesma. Concluiremos, demonstrando que uma colecção sistematicamente sujeita a desbaste é uma colecção que facilita e promove a leitura