Browsing by Author "Silva, Alexandra R."
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Ask a Scientist : using place-based mobile learning to promote adolescents’ interest in naturePublication . Silva, Alexandra R.; Gabriel, Rosalina; Arroz, Ana Moura; Sousa, Daniel; Piasentin, Flora Bonazzi; Rosário, Isabel Amorim do; Matos, SóniaQuestioning can be an important instrument to promote students' interest in nature. In this study, based on questions from local adolescents about nature, we designed mobile learning materials focused on local nature-rich environments in the form of podcast episodes and tested them, in a quasi-experimental design, with a new group of adolescents to assess their efficacy in promoting participants’ curiosity about nature. Contributions of this study include insights for future research on technological nature and adolescents' interaction with nature and educational developments related to place-based learning for nature conservation.
- Cultural probes for environmental education : Designing learning materials to engage children and teenagers with local biodiversityPublication . Matos, Sónia; Silva, Alexandra R.; Sousa, Duarte; Picanço, Ana; Rosário, Isabel Amorim do; Ashby, Simone; Gabriel, Rosalina; Arroz, Ana MouraDirect contact with nature is paramount in deepening children’s and teenagers’ interest in biodiversity. Learning materials chosen to convey information and engage participants during outings in nature-rich environments are varied and can support rich learning experiences. For this purpose, learning materials can be acquired "off-the-shelf" or developed for site-specific locations or projects. However, there is little guidance on potential techniques for those wishing to generate contextually relevant materials. With the view of responding to this challenge, we propose the cultural probes technique. We demonstrate that the technique, commonly used in qualitative research to generate novel insights in conversation with participants, can instigate innovative and thoughtful approaches to materials designed for children and teenagers to explore nature. We present a toolkit that draws on the literature on cultural probes, inquiry-based learning, and the value of sensory, emotional, and aesthetic experiences in environmental education for structuring interactions with participants. To test our approach, we applied a descriptive research design and mixed-methods approach for collecting questions from youths between the ages of 10 and 18, inspired by a nature walk and a set of exploratory tasks executed through the toolkit. Specifically, we tested our toolkit along a trail in the Nature Park of Terceira, situated in the Azores, a Portuguese volcanic archipelago in the North Atlantic. Here, we present and reflect on the data collected during one visit organized over two days with two groups of participants and one post-trail activity directed at both groups. Results demonstrate that the open-ended and playful nature of cultural probes offers a novel way to engage youths with nature-rich environments through questioning. This contribution further highlights the potential of cultural probes for instigating encounters that tap into the value of sensory, emotional, and aesthetic experience in nature, with positive outcomes for participants.
- Guia de atividades pedagógicas : À (re)descoberta da naturezaPublication . Silva, Alexandra R.; Gabriel, Rosalina; Rosário, Isabel Amorim do; Arroz, Ana Moura; Picanço, Ana; Matos, SóniaNum contexto escolar em que os alunos estão menos vezes do que o desejável em contacto direto com ambientes naturais, pretende-se, no âmbito do projeto de investigação Guia de Campo, disponibilizar a professores, pais e jovens um conjunto de atividades de exploração da natureza idealizadas de modo a diversificar os tipos de inteligência, de experiências e de elementos naturais abrangidos. De acordo com a abordagem da aprendizagem situada, que sublinha a relevância da relação entre a aprendizagem e a situação física e social em que ocorre, estas atividades foram desenvolvidas e testadas por jovens escuteiros de diferentes idades no Trilho dos Mistérios Negros, no Parque Natural da Ilha Terceira (Açores, Portugal). A seleção de atividades apresentadas neste guia como materiais de educação ambiental multidisciplinares, foi realizada tendo em conta a identificação de contextos específicos que facilitassem as aprendizagens, promovendo a curiosidade e conhecimento das crianças e jovens sobre os ambientes naturais do local onde vivem. Visava-se aumentar a sua exposição e conexão à natureza e expandir as suas possibilidades de relação (affordances) com ela. Crê-se estar a contribuir, deste modo, para o desenvolvimento da consciência ambiental e de competências cognitivas e metacognitivas, sociais, emocionais e psicomotoras. Para cada atividade encontram-se identificados os anos escolares e as áreas curriculares em que se enquadram de forma mais imediata. É também apresentada informação relativa às áreas de competências consideradas no Perfil dos Alunos à Saída da Escolaridade Obrigatória, bem como aos tipos de inteligência mais diretamente implicados, de acordo com a teoria das inteligências múltiplas.
- Nature exposure scale : Psychometric properties, reliability and validity evidence from Azores (Portugal)Publication . Arroz, Ana Moura; Picanço, Ana; Silva, Alexandra R.; Rosário, Isabel Amorim do; Gabriel, RosalinaAlthough exposure to nature has asserted its impact on health and well-being in numerous studies, the way in which it is assessed is still problematic and there are no validated measures for Portuguese-speaking countries. Hence, in this study, we carried out a psychometric analysis of the Nature Exposure Scale (NES), a self-report instrument with four Likert items, from its administration to a convenience sample of 579 adults residing in the Azores (Portugal). Overall, the results of the NES scale show good reliability and adequate divergent and convergent validity. But the understanding of its latent structure must be deepened.
- What Is Most Desirable for Nature? An Analysis of Azorean Pupils’ Biodiversity Perspectives When Deciding on Ecological ScenariosPublication . Piasentin, Flora Bonazzi; Gabriel, Rosalina; Arroz, Ana Moura; Silva, Alexandra R.; Amorim, Isabel R.Understanding pupils’ biodiversity perspectives is essential to developing educators’ sensitivity to students’ multi-faceted views of the world, thus increasing teaching effectiveness. In this study, we asked 1528 school pupils in the Azores to choose between alternative schemes in three ecological scenarios and to justify their decisions. The study’s objectives were to understand biodiversity perspectives underlying pupils’ choice of the most desirable schemes for nature and to examine whether gender and school level (middle school/high school) influenced their choices. Quantitative (frequency analysis and Chi-square statistics) and qualitative (thematic analysis) methods were applied for data analysis. The majority of pupils made appropriate choices, arguing from different biodiversity perspectives, which were classified in 10 categories and 24 subcategories. High school pupils did not exhibit significant differences among the main arguments employed, and mostly referred to ecological concepts, while middle school pupils exhibited different choices according to gender, emphasizing richness over the threats posed by introduced species. Biodiversity education should thus be strengthened, especially at the middle school level, where different complex issues would benefit from classroom discussion and systematization. The chosen methodological strategy proved to be effective in assessing pupils’ biodiversity perspectives, which may be useful to deal with other ill-structured problems.