Many environmental communication interventions are built on the assumption that increased knowledge will lead to changes in proenvironment behaviors. Our study probes the link between biodiversity-related knowledge and self-reported proconservation behavior, based on the largest and most international study of zoo visitors ever conducted. In total, 6,357 visitors to 30 zoos from 19 countries around the globe participated in the study. Biodiversity understanding and knowledge of actions to help protect biodiversity were significantly related, but only 0.6% of the variation in knowledge of
Project TRUE seeks to increase the interest of high school students in pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors by increasing participants’ exposure to urban ecology research conducted with college mentors. The Lifelong Learning Group is conducting research that explores the program’s longer-term influence on academic and career choices. More specifically, the research addresses the question: How do the four key elements of youth development in Project TRUE contribute to pursuit of advanced STEM study and career path in the short- and medium-term? This report presents
“Investigating the Long-term Effects of Informal Science Learning at Zoos and Aquariums” aimed to identify the opportunities for and barriers to researching the long-term effects of informal science learning experiences at zoos and aquariums, and to construct a proposal for a five- to ten-year study as the first attempt to measure those effects. This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of the one-year project, which concluded in November 2015.
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Sarah ThomasNicole ArdoinMurray Saunders