Associations with plant genetic engineering: A perception analysis of students’ hopes and fears

Public perceptions of plant genetic engineering are of increasing research interest. Although within the current debate on the cultivation of genetically modified plants many related ethical, political and economic issues need specific consideration, young students’ views on this socio-scientific issue are largely unexplored. Therefore, our current analysis focussed on perceptions of Bavarian tenth graders (N = 572) with regard to their hopes and fears in the context of plant genetic engineering. By applying a mixed-methods approach, students rated their individual hopes and fears on a 4-point Likert scale (quantitative part) and gave a written statement about their individual associations (qualitative part): Hereby, hopes scored much higher than fears (medium effect). The subsequent categorisation of qualitative data resulted in five categories for hopes and four categories for fears. Hopes were mainly associated with economic or ecological aspects as well as with the overall fight against world hunger. Fears dealt mainly with negative consequences on human health and the fate of the environment. Additionally, subjective and objective knowledge were analysed for their influence on students’ perceptions. Subjective knowledge had a significant influence on hopes, objective knowledge did not. This background information is relevant for the age-appropriate preparation of biology lessons: Hopes and fears need to be specifically addressed in order to optimise educational efforts and to support students to become responsible citizens

The effect of age on students’ conceptions of agriculture

Agricultural literacy is increasingly regarded as an important issue in sustainability education, yet little survey data regarding children and adolescents are available. We therefore surveyed two different age groups, fifth and sixth graders (n=122) and tenth graders (n=158) of German schools, about their conceptions of farmers’ duties, thereby identifying seven distinct conceptions. The conception most frequently mentioned by the younger students was animals (85.7 per cent) followed by processing (68.7 per cent), whereas the older students named the conception plants (76.0 per cent) most often, followed by animals (65.2 per cent). We found discrepancies in the sub-conceptions of animals between the two age groups, but none in plants. Ecologyrelated aspects (5.1 per cent) were only mentioned by the older students. We then examined the effect of a student having an agricultural family background on the conceptions named. Only 25 per cent of the younger students and none of the older students reported a past contact with farms through visits or guided tours. We found that regardless of having an agricultural family background, most students lack an understanding of the impact of agriculture on the environment. Consequently, we conclude that agricultural education in German schools does not adequately teach modern agricultural practices or the importance of modern agricultural challenges

Die Beziehungsstruktur zwischen der Nutzen- und der Risikobewertung sowie der Unterstützung von Techniken im Bereich Biotechnologie | Integrative Untersuchung der Eurobarometer-Studien 1991–2005

Integrative Analysis of the Relationship between three Assessment Aspects of Biotechnological Applications: Perceived Benefit, Perceived Risk and the General Support of a Technology based on six German Eurobarometer-Studies (1991–2005)Focusing on three areas of specific biotechnological applications, this article investigates the relationship between public assessments on risk and benefit of a technology as well as the general support for this technology. Six Eurobarometer-Studies, gathered between 1991 and 2005, constitute the data base for this endeavor. The relationship between the perceived risk and the perceived benefit of biotechnology turns out to be a spurious correlation when controlled by the ‘support’ variable. Both variables, the risk and benefit assessment remain in a statistically robust relationship to the general support of the respective technology, indicating a Halo-Effect. Meta-analytical instruments are used to investigate the relationship between risk assessment and the general support of a technology. They reveal an increasing strength of the relationship between both variables over time. The media coverage is discussed as an important influencing factor for this finding

Associations with plant genetic engineering: A perception analysis of students’ hopes and fears

Public perceptions of plant genetic engineering are of increasing research interest. Although within the current debate on the cultivation of genetically modified plants, many related ethical, political and economic issues need specific consideration, young students’ views on this socio-scientific issue are largely unexplored. Therefore, our current analysis focussed on perceptions of Bavarian 10th graders (N=572) with regard to their hopes and fears in the context of plant genetic engineering. By applying a mixed-methods approach, students rated their individual hopes and fears on a 4-point Likert-scale (quantitative part) and gave a written statement about their individual associations (qualitative part): Hereby, hopes scored much higher than fears (medium effect). The subsequent categorisation of qualitative data resulted in five categories for hopes and four categories for fears. Hopes were mainly associated with economic or ecological aspects as well as with the overall fight against world hunger. Fears dealt mainly with negative consequences on human health and the fate of the environment. Additionally, subjective and objective knowledge were analysed for their influence on students’ perceptions. Subjective knowledge had a significant influence on hopes, objective knowledge did not. This background information is relevant for the age-appropriate preparation of biology lessons: Hopes and fears need to be specifically addressed in order to optimise educational efforts and to support students to become responsible citizens

The effect of age on students’ conceptions of agriculture

Agricultural literacy is increasingly regarded as an important issue in sustainability education, yet little survey data regarding children and adolescents are available. We therefore surveyed two different age groups, fifth and sixth graders (n = 122) and tenth graders (n = 158) of German schools, about their conceptions of farmers’ duties, thereby identifying seven distinct conceptions. The conception most frequently mentioned by the younger students was animals (85.7 per cent) followed by processing (68.7 per cent), whereas the older students named the conception plants (76.0 per cent) most often, followed by animals (65.2 per cent). We found discrepancies in the sub-conceptions of animals between the two age groups, but none in plants. Ecology-related aspects (5.1 per cent) were only mentioned by the older students. We then examined the effect of a student having an agricultural family background on the conceptions named. Only 25 per cent of the younger students and none of the older students reported a past contact with farms through visitation or guided tours. We found that regardless of having an agricultural family background, most students lack an understanding of the impact of agriculture on the environment. Consequently, we conclude that agricultural education in German schools does not adequately teach modern agricultural practices or the importance of modern agricultural challenges