Knowledge of Arthropod Carnivory and Herbivory: Factors Influencing Preservice Elementary Teacher’S Attitudes and Beliefs Toward Arthropods
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
International Journal of Environmental & Science Education Vol. 8, No. 2, April 2013, 303-318 Knowledge of Arthropod Carnivory and Herbivory: Factors Influencing Preservice Elementary Teacher’s Attitudes and Beliefs toward Arthropods Ron Wagler1* and Amy Wagler2 Received 30 July 2012; Accepted 20 January 2013 Doi: 10.12973/ijese.2013.209a Abstract: Human negativity toward arthropods has been well documented but the factors that contribute to this negativity have been elusive. This study explored knowledge of arthropod carnivory and herbivory as possible casual factors that contribute to the negative tendencies preservice elementary teachers have toward most arthropods. Specifically, this study investigated the effect knowledge of arthropod carnivory and herbivory had on United States kindergarten through sixth grade preservice elementary teacher attitude toward that arthropod and belief concerning the likelihood of incorporating information about that specific arthropod into their future science classroom. A cluster randomized design with a control group was used for the study. The treatment group consisted of 147 preservice elementary teachers and the control group consisted of 151. Unique to this study is the finding that arthropod carnivory and herbivory are causal factors that strongly affect preservice elementary teacher attitude and belief toward arthropods. When the participants of the study were made aware that an arthropod they thought was a herbivore was actually a carnivore, their attitude and likelihood of incorporation significantly declined. When the participants of the study were made aware that an arthropod they thought was a carnivore was actually a herbivore, their attitude and likelihood of incorporation significantly increased. Implications and future research are discussed. Keywords: Arthropod; Attitude; Carnivory; Elementary; Herbivory; Preservice 1 *The University of Texas at El Paso, Department of Teacher Education, 500 West University Avenue, Education Building 601, El Paso, TX 79968, e-mail: [email protected] 2 The University of Texas at El Paso, Department of Mathematical Sciences, 500 West University Avenue, Bell Hall 311, El Paso, TX 79968, e-mail: [email protected] ISSN 1306-3065 Copyright © 2006-2013 by ESER, Eurasian Society of Educational Research. All Rights Reserved. 304 Ron Wagler and Amy Wagler Introduction of Earth’s arthropods (Wagler, 2010; Wagler Human negativity toward arthropods has & Wagler, 2011) even though a quality been well documented (e.g., Kellert, 1993; science education begins in the elementary Prokop, Tolarovičová, Camerik & Peterková, classroom with curriculum that exposes 2010; Wagler, 2010; Wagler & Wagler, students to biodiverse groups of animals (e.g., 2011) with the classic example being fear of AAAS, 1993; NRC, 1996; NRC, 2011; spiders (e.g., Gerdes, Uhl, & Alpers, 2009). NAAEE, 2004). Although human negativity Previous research has shown preservice toward arthropods has been documented, the elementary teachers have no plans to teach underlying factors that contribute to this their future students about the vast majority negativity have been elusive. Identifying Table 1. Adult Arthropods Used in the Study Terrestrial Food Type of Common Scientific Primary Carnivore Herbivore Chain Arthropod Name Name Diet Trophic Leveld Level 3: Asian Lady Harmonia Beetle a Arthropods Secondary Beetle axyridis Consumer Level 3: Hagenius Dragonfly Dragonhunter Arthropods Secondary brevistylus Consumer Daring Level 3: Phidippus Spider Jumping Arthropods Secondary audax Spider Consumer Level 2: Bagheera Beltianc Spider Unknown b Primary kiplingi Bodies Consumer aPredominantly Carnivorous; bPredominantly Herbivorous; cBeltian body: a protein-rich structure produced by and found on the leaflets of the ant-acacia plant (Vachellia spp.) (Meehan, Olson, Reudink, Kyser & Curry, 2009); dLevel 1: Plants, that make their own food, are called primary producers; Level 2: Herbivores, that eat plants, are called primary consumers; Level 3: Carnivores, that eat herbivores, are called secondary consumers. 2013 by ESER - Figure 1. The predominantly herbivorous spider Bagheera kiplingi eating a protein-rich Beltian body it has harvested from an ant-acacia plant (Vachellia spp.). Note the other Beltian bodies on the tips of the plants leaflets. (Photograph by David Jordan and used with his permission) Copyright © 2006 305 Knowledge of Arthropod Carnivory and Herbivory these factors can assist science educators in individual’s present attitude (2) toward that constructing effective learning environments entity. that foster students understand of ecosystem That attitude, in turn, affects present interactions. beliefs (3) associated with that entity This study explored knowledge of (Kruglanski & Stroebe, 2005; Marsh & arthropod carnivory and herbivory as possible Wallace, 2005). The mechanisms by which casual factors that contribute to the negative beliefs influence attitudes and attitudes tendencies preservice elementary teachers influence beliefs is based on the way attitudes have toward most arthropods (Wagler, 2010; and beliefs are perceptually organized Wagler & Wagler, 2011). Specifically, this (Heider, 1958; Albarracín et al., 2005), study investigated the effect knowledge of cognitively organized (Osgood & arthropod carnivory and herbivory had on Tannenbaum, 1955; Rosenberg, 1960; United States (U.S.) kindergarten through Albarracín et al., 2005) and the outcomes of sixth grade (K-6) preservice elementary judgmental processes (Sherif, Sherif, & teacher attitude toward that arthropod and Nebergall, 1965; Albarracín et al., 2005). belief concerning the likelihood of incorporating information about that specific Literature Review arthropod into their future science classroom A Brief Overview of Arthropods (henceforth referred to as “likelihood of Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda) are incorporation”). A cluster randomized design invertebrate animals that are united by a set with a control group was used for the study. of characteristics, with the most visible being Four arthropods were used in the study (See a segmented body and jointed appendages Table 1). that are covered with an exoskeleton made of They were the Asian lady beetle, the chitin (Budd & Telford, 2009; Johnson, 2003; dragonhunter dragonfly, the daring jumping Lewis, Gaffin, Hoefnagels & Parker, 2002). spider and the only known predominantly Common examples include insects (Class: herbaceous spider, Bagheera kiplingi (See Insecta), spiders (Class: Arachnida) and Figure 1). shrimp (Class: Malacostraca). Arthropod Theoretical Underpinnings of the Study evolution began approximately 542-488 Human attitude is defined as a “psychological million years ago in the Cambrian period tendency that is expressed by evaluating a (Budd & Telford, 2009). Based upon life particular entity with some degree of favor or history, global biodiversity and sheer disfavor” (Eagly & Chaiken, 1993, p.1). numbers, arthropods are arguably the most (1) Past Beliefs (2) Present (3) Present Belief about a Attitude about a about Incorporating Specific Arthropod Specific Affects Specific Affects Arthropod Arthropod Information into Future Science Classroom Figure 2. Association between Human’s Past Beliefs, Present Attitude and Present Belief 2013 by ESER - Human belief is defined as an estimate of the evolutionarily and biologically successful likelihood that the knowledge one has about animal phylum on Earth. an entity is correct or, alternatively, that an Arthropod global species distribution event or a state of affairs has or will occur includes all continents and nearly every body (Eagly & Chaiken, 1998). The past beliefs of of water on Earth. It is hypothesized that humans (1) (See Figure 2) that are linked to a more than 75% of all animal species on Earth particular entity (i.e., an arthropod) affect the are arthropods (Lewis, Gaffin, Hoefnagels & Parker, 2002) with the class Insecta (i.e., the Copyright © 2006 306 Ron Wagler and Amy Wagler insects) having the largest number of species showed how different societal groups (e.g., and the greatest number of individuals. the general public, farmers, scientists and Beetles alone account for more than 300,000 conservation members) perceive and value species. Arthropods perform many essential invertebrates. ecological services for humans that range Bjerke, Odegardstuen and Kaltenborn from the pollination of flowering plants by (1998) explored Norwegian children and bees, to the consumption of massive global adolescents degree of preference for animals. detritus by cockroaches to a myriad of other They found that the degree of preference for phenomenon that make human existence animals varies depending on the type of possible (Wilson, 1987). Even though animal (Bjerke, Odegardstuen & Kaltenborn, arthropod species diversity is large, the 1998). The worm, spider, bee and crow were conservation status of many of Earth’s found to be the least favorite species. The cat, arthropod species ranges from vulnerable to dog, rabbit and horse were the favorite extinct (International Union for Conservation species (Bjerke, Odegardstuen & Kaltenborn, of Nature, 2012) as they are part of the 1998). Very few of the studies participants current human-induced global mass were willing to save ecologically-significant extinction of plant and animal life (e.g., insects (i.e., ants, bees and lady beetles) from Jackson, 2008; Wagler, 2011; Wagler, 2012; going extinct (Bjerke, Odegardstuen & Wake & Vredenburg, 2008). Kaltenborn, 1998). Human