The Lower Secondary School Pupils’ Attitudes Toward and Knowledge About Water Birds

Abstract

Background: The water birds are inseparable part of the environment and ecosystems. This group of birds has got an important role in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems make them sensitive indicators of the health of these environments. Material and methods: The main aim of the study was to find out the attitudes toward and knowledge about water birds among lower secondary school pupils. The partial aims was to find out the influence of demographic variables like gender, grade, residence and the ownership of pet on the attitudes toward and knowledge about water birds. The sample size consisted of 340 lower secondary school pupils from Czech Republic. The obtained data were analyzed by the methods of descriptive (mean score), inferential (analysis of variance) and also multidimensional statistics (factor analysis). Results: The gender and grade level of pupils had got significant level on knowledge. All observed variables had got significant level on the attitudes toward water birds. And the relationship between knowledge and attitudes was negative. Conclusions: The implications to educational practice are discussed.