Kindergarten Student Teachers' Knowledge Regarding Crucial Environmental Challenges

Global warming and a decline in pollinating insects are among the most crucial challenges today and a sufficient degree of scientific literacy is required for citizens in order to understand these issues and take action for sustainable development in general. Several studies have investigated knowledge associated with the greenhouse effect and the effect of the ozone layer. These have deduced that despite impro-vement in teaching tools, a high proportion of pupils and students still confuse these two phenomena. Previous research has also shown that plant biology is a neglected subject and students struggle to diffe-rentiate between pollination and seed dispersal. This study investigates the understanding regarding the mechanisms underlying global climate change and pollination by conducting a survey with four classes of Norwegian kindergarten teacher students, at the beginning of the academic year (n = 103), and by asking follow-up questions after completed teaching (n = 111). It was observed that approximately 40 percent of the students confused the greenhouse effect with the effect of the hole in the ozone layer. One fifth of the students mentioned photosynthesis while describing the importance of the Sun for life on Earth. About one third of them connected pollen to plant reproduction and two thirds believed that pollen is seeds. A survey at the end of the academic year showed that a substantial proportion of the students display-ed teaching resilience. These results can be interpreted in the light of constructivist learning theory and might partly be explained by the role mass media play in influencing scientific literacy. For future citizens to make informed decisions, ecological issues should be prioritised in education.publishedVersio

Children's knowledge about the origins of food in early childhood education and care institutions (ECEC) in Norway

The purpose of the present study was to examine Norwegian kindergarten children’s knowledge about the origins of commonly consumed food items. Data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews of 56 children (aged five to six years old) from nine different kindergartens based on open-ended questions and with the use of pictures showing eight different food items. Parents and kindergarten staff completed a questionnaire about how often they discuss the origins of food with the children. Most of the children could tell us exactly where milk, caviar, bread, meat, and wheat flour come from, but they were less aware of the origins of cheese, pasta, and sausages. The children’s level of knowledge was not associated with kindergarten profile or gender or with respect to how often parents and staff members reported discussing the origins of food with the children. This study highlights the importance of various educational activities in increasing children’s knowledge.publishedVersio

Species Identification Skills in Teacher Education Students: The Role of Attitude, Context and Experience

Knowledge about local species and a positive attitude towards all living organisms are important to motivate the next generations to protect biodiversity. We compared local species identification skills and declared attitude towards invertebrates across genders in Italian and Norwegian students in teacher education. We focused on Norway and Italy for this comparative study, because of their different teaching traditions and relationships with outdoor education. We found a significant difference in local species identification skills between Italian and Norwegian students, who could identify 21% and 57% of the species, respectively. Overall, females had a more negative attitude towards invertebrates than males. However, Norwegian women had a more positive attitude towards invertebrates than Italian women did. Our result could reflect both differences in time spent in nature and teaching programs between countries. We also found a positive correlation between species identification skills and declared interest towards invertebrates. We discuss several approaches that could help to address this issue, in order for future teachers to become more aware of the risk that their biophobic attitude is transferred to the next generation with negative effects on biodiversity conservation.publishedVersio

Kindergarten Children’s Perception about the Ecological Roles of Living Organisms

Young children will inherit the biosphere; therefore, it is crucial that they recognize the importance of all living organisms based on their intrinsic value and ecosystem function, not only on their “cuteness”. However, children’s knowledge about the interdependence among organisms has been little investigated. We interviewed 56 kindergarten children (5–6 years old) in Norway. The aim of the study was to investigate their perception of the importance for nature of six organisms, representing different trophic levels of food webs (producers, consumers, decomposers) and providing different ecosystem services (production, decomposition, and pollination). There was no difference in ranking between sexes or between ordinary and farm-based kindergartens. Bumblebees and earthworms were perceived as the most important organisms, followed by squirrel, trees, and wolf. None of the children recognized the ecological role of mushrooms. Our results show that, although upon completing kindergarten many children had gained an early understanding of the role of different organisms in nature, they missed the importance of plants and fungi. Kindergarten children’s “fungi blindness” might reflect a neglect of the public for this extremely important, diverse, and dominating taxon. We should therefore put more emphasis in raising awareness about the interdependence among trophic levels in food webs.publishedVersio

The impact of exposure timing on embryo mortality and the partitioning of PAHs when cod eggs are exposed to dispersed and dissolved crude oil

During sub-sea oil spills to the marine environment, oil droplets will rise towards the sea surface at a rate determined by their density and diameter as well as the vertical turbulence in the water. Micro-droplets (< 50 µm) are expected to have prolonged residence times in the water column. If present, pelagic fish eggs may thus be exposed to dispersed oil from subsurface oil spills for days, and the contribution of these micro-droplets to toxicity is not well known. The purpose of this work was to investigate to what extent timing of exposure and the presence of oil micro droplets affects PAH uptake and survival of pelagic Atlantic cod eggs. A single batch of eggs was separated in two groups and exposed to dispersions and corresponding water-soluble fraction at 3–7 days (Early exposure) and 9–13 days (Late exposure) post fertilization. Partitioning of PAHs between crude oil microdroplets, water and eggs was estimated as well as the contribution of oil droplets to PAH body residue and acute and delayed mortality. Timing of oil exposure clearly affects both the mortality rate and the timing of mortality. Even though the body residue of PAHs were lower when embryos were exposed in the later embryonic stage, mortality rate increased relative to the early exposure indicating that critical body residue threshold is stage specific. Although our results suggest that the dissolved fraction is the dominating driver for toxicity in cod embryos exposed to oil dispersions, crude oil micro droplets contribute to increased mortality as well.publishedVersio

Gut microbiome dysbiosis is associated with host genetics in the Norwegian Lundehund

A group of diseases have been shown to correlate with a phenomenon called microbiome dysbiosis, where the bacterial species composition of the gut becomes abnormal. The gut microbiome of an animal is influenced by many factors including diet, exposures to bacteria during post-gestational growth, lifestyle, and disease status. Studies also show that host genetics can affect microbiome composition. We sought to test whether host genetic background is associated with gut microbiome composition in the Norwegian Lundehund dog, a highly inbred breed with an effective population size of 13 individuals. The Lundehund has a high rate of a protein-losing enteropathy in the small intestine that is often reported as Lundehund syndrome, which negatively affects longevity and life-quality. An outcrossing project with the Buhund, Norrbottenspets, and Icelandic sheepdog was recently established to reintroduce genetic diversity to the Lundehund and improve its health. To assess whether there was an association between host genetic diversity and the microbiome composition, we sampled the fecal microbiomes of 75 dogs of the parental (Lundehund), F1 (Lundehund x Buhund), and F2 (F1 x Lundehund) generations. We found significant variation in microbiome composition from the parental Lundehund generation compared to the outcross progeny. The variation observed in purebred Lundehunds corresponded to dysbiosis as seen by a highly variable microbiome composition with an elevated Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio and an increase in the prevalence of Streptococcus bovis/Streptococcus equinus complex, a known pathobiont that can cause several diseases. We tracked several other environmental factors including diet, the presence of a cat in the household, living in a farm and the use of probiotics, but we did not find evidence of an effect of these on microbiome composition and alpha diversity. In conclusion, we found an association between host genetics and gut microbiome composition, which in turn may be associated with the high incidence of Lundehund syndrome in the purebred parental dogs

Kindergarten Teacher Students’ Knowledge Regarding Crucial Environmental Challenges

Global warming and a decline in pollinating insects are among the most crucial challenges today and a sufficient degree of scientific literacy is required for citizens in order to understand these issues and take action for sustainable development in general. Several studies have investigated knowledge associated with the greenhouse effect and the effect of the ozone layer. These have deduced that despite impro-vement in teaching tools, a high proportion of pupils and students still confuse these two phenomena. Previous research has also shown that plant biology is a neglected subject and students struggle to diffe-rentiate between pollination and seed dispersal. This study investigates the understanding regarding the mechanisms underlying global climate change and pollination by conducting a survey with four classes of Norwegian kindergarten teacher students, at the beginning of the academic year (n = 103), and by asking follow-up questions after completed teaching (n = 111). It was observed that approximately 40 percent of the students confused the greenhouse effect with the effect of the hole in the ozone layer. One fifth of the students mentioned photosynthesis while describing the importance of the Sun for life on Earth. About one third of them connected pollen to plant reproduction and two thirds believed that pollen is seeds. A survey at the end of the academic year showed that a substantial proportion of the students display-ed teaching resilience. These results can be interpreted in the light of constructivist learning theory and might partly be explained by the role mass media play in influencing scientific literacy. For future citizens to make informed decisions, ecological issues should be prioritised in education

Kindergarten Student Teachers' Knowledge Regarding Crucial Environmental Challenges

Global warming and a decline in pollinating insects are among the most crucial challenges today and a sufficient degree of scientific literacy is required for citizens in order to understand these issues and take action for sustainable development in general. Several studies have investigated knowledge associated with the greenhouse effect and the effect of the ozone layer. These have deduced that despite impro-vement in teaching tools, a high proportion of pupils and students still confuse these two phenomena. Previous research has also shown that plant biology is a neglected subject and students struggle to diffe-rentiate between pollination and seed dispersal. This study investigates the understanding regarding the mechanisms underlying global climate change and pollination by conducting a survey with four classes of Norwegian kindergarten teacher students, at the beginning of the academic year (n = 103), and by asking follow-up questions after completed teaching (n = 111). It was observed that approximately 40 percent of the students confused the greenhouse effect with the effect of the hole in the ozone layer. One fifth of the students mentioned photosynthesis while describing the importance of the Sun for life on Earth. About one third of them connected pollen to plant reproduction and two thirds believed that pollen is seeds. A survey at the end of the academic year showed that a substantial proportion of the students display-ed teaching resilience. These results can be interpreted in the light of constructivist learning theory and might partly be explained by the role mass media play in influencing scientific literacy. For future citizens to make informed decisions, ecological issues should be prioritised in education

Children's knowledge about the origins of food in early childhood education and care institutions (ECEC) in Norway

The purpose of the present study was to examine Norwegian kindergarten children’s knowledge about the origins of commonly consumed food items. Data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews of 56 children (aged five to six years old) from nine different kindergartens based on open-ended questions and with the use of pictures showing eight different food items. Parents and kindergarten staff completed a questionnaire about how often they discuss the origins of food with the children. Most of the children could tell us exactly where milk, caviar, bread, meat, and wheat flour come from, but they were less aware of the origins of cheese, pasta, and sausages. The children’s level of knowledge was not associated with kindergarten profile or gender or with respect to how often parents and staff members reported discussing the origins of food with the children. This study highlights the importance of various educational activities in increasing children’s knowledge