Animals in Environmental Education: Assessing Individuals' Emotional Reactions to Interactions with Wildlife

Authors

  • Marina Silva dos Santos University of Georgia
  • Kathleen D. Kelsey University of Georgia
  • Nicholas E. Fuhrman University of Georgia
  • Kris Irwin University of Georgia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.04061

Keywords:

animal ambassadors, animals in education, environmental education, human-wildlife interactions, pro-environmental behaviors

Abstract

Environmental education (EE) programs, when combined with human-wildlife interactions (HWI), can trigger emotions, an essential part of attitudes that influence pro-environmental behaviors (PEB). We used participant observation and a post-event evaluation survey to investigate emotional response to HWI among participants from marine educational programs at the University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium, Savannah, GA. We found that during HWI participants demonstrated positive (e.g., empathy) and negative emotions (e.g., frustration) with animals, including misconceptions and negative perceptions toward snakes and horseshoe crabs. In addition, outdoor exploration, contact with wildlife (direct or indirect), biofacts exhibitions and live animal presentations were the practices that most engaged participants in the programs, indicating that animals (e.g., turtles and crabs) can increase participants’ interest in educational activities. By incorporating wildlife in EE practices, educators can engage individuals in activities and stimulate their emotional attachment to animals, which can encourage changes in perceptions, leading to PEBs necessary for environmental conservation.

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Published

2020-12-31

How to Cite

Silva dos Santos, M., Kelsey, K. D., Fuhrman, N. E., & Irwin, K. (2020). Animals in Environmental Education: Assessing Individuals’ Emotional Reactions to Interactions with Wildlife. Journal of Agricultural Education, 61(4), 61–77. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.04061

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