Why does villagers’ giraffe feed on grass and citizens’ cats do not drink water?
Why does villagers’ giraffe feed on grass and citizens’ cats do not drink water?

The impact of students’ living environment on the development of their knowledge about the farm animals and pets: the analysis of drawings and questionnaires of primary school students

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this investigation was to show the connection between the living environment of children and the development of their personal knowledge of the farm animals and pets. The group of 93 students, 1-3 grade, was asked to draw one of two pictures: pets or farm animals. Another group of 69 students, 4-6 grade, filled in the questionnaire that was set to examine students’ knowledge of these animals. Examined students were brought up in urban areas (the city of Poznań) or rural areas (municipality of Gołańcz, Greater Poland Voivodeship). Questionnaires and drawings were put under the qualitative and quantitative analysis. The results show the differences in personal knowledge of the children from urban and rural areas: the answers of the rural area students were more concrete, with more practical attitude towards the farm animals and pets. The urban area children paid more attention to aesthetic and emotional aspects. The survey shows also that there is possibly connection between how often students meet some specific animals in real life and the number of correct information they can give about these animals. The additional aspect of this study is to show the possibility of using the drawing analysis as a diagnostic tool of students’ environment knowledge.

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