Urban Environment in a Small Spanish City. PEDRO ... previous conceptions, alternative conceptions or spontaneous ... Teacher Training School in the University of Vigo, Orense. Dr ... capital city of a province that is mainly dedicated to.
Preconceptions of Students about the Natural Urban Environment in a Small Spanish City PEDRO MEMBIELA*, EMILIA NOGUEIRAS and MERCEDES SUAREZ Universidade de Vigo, EU Formaci6n de/Profesorado de EXB, Vicente Risco s/n, 32001 Orense, Spain
Summary The preconceptions of secondary students from a small Spanish city, mainly about natural aspects, have been studied. The main characteristic of their conceptions about the urban natural environment was that it was always linked to negative aspects and was generally seen as something essentially problematic. Moreover, it seems that their knowledge of smaller living beings, of wild animals, plants and fungi, was worse than for other urban living beings. The analysis of these altemative conceptions has led the authors to propose some recommendations for curricular design and development for schools in urban environments.
Introduction
For more than a decade, the study of the so called previous conceptions, alternative conceptions or spontaneous conceptions of children's science has acquired growing importance. In this field there has been considerable research (Pfundt and Duit, 1985; Novak, 1987; Carmichael et al., 1990). These lines of work are included in the constructivist view, which considers that it is necessary to know what students think about a given topic as a previous step in every teaching or learning process. Knowledge of previous concept is justified (Scott et al., 1987) both for the pupils, because when they utilise their preconceptions they facilitate their own learning; and for the teacher, who by knowing the previous ideas o f the s t u d e n t s , can d e s i g n a d e q u a t e experiences for them in order to modify the student's concepts as and if required. Preconceptions differ in many cases from s c i e n t i f i c k n o w l e d g e , t h e y m a y also s h o w similarities in different socio-cultural environments and resist change due to age and teaching. However, there are still very few papers on the preconceptions of students about their urban natural environment * Dr Pedro Membiela is a biologist and Professor in the TeacherTraining School in the Universityof Vigo, Orense. Dr Mercedes Sufirez is an educationalist and Professor of Curriculum in the Faculty of Humanities in the University. Emilia Nogueirashas a degreein Biologyand Educationand is a scienceteacher in the High School in Orense.
and its problems (Giordan et al., 1977; Alaimo and Doran, 1980; CMIDE, 1987; Gomez, 1987; Barbieri et al., 1988; Udina and Canals, 1987; Sanjos6 et al., 1989). To this e n d , c e r t a i n o f f i c i a l S p a n i s h organisations have recommended a constructivist viewpoint for environmental education (MOPU, 1989), or advocated the study of the mental viewpoints of students in order to help them evolve better through instruction (MEC/MOPU/ICONA/ UNESCO, 1988). Some international organisations have pointed out the need for investigating student's knowledge of the environment (UNESCO/PNUE, 1988). The objective of the present work was to find out the preconceived ideas of students about different topics related to the city in which they lived, mainly by examining natural aspects of their environment. The knowledge acquired in this study should serve as a base for curricular design and development for environmental education in urban areas. Context of this Research
Orense is a small city of approximately 100,000 inhabitants, located in the north-west of Spain. It is an important road communication centre and the capital city of a province that is mainly dedicated to agriculture (Fig.l). It is a city where a significant population increase has taken place in the last few decades (42,371 inhabitants in 1960; 102,758 in
The Environmentalist, Volume 14, Number 2, 131-138 (1994)
Fig.1 The city of Orense on north-west Spain.
1991) a c c o m p a n i e d by i m p o r t a n t u r b a n developments. Industrial activity has, however, reduced whilst service industries have increased in importance. The city occupies a small depression, crossed by a relatively important river (Mifio), with two tributaries (Lofia and Barbafia). The high pollution levels in the rivers (especially the River Barbafia) constitute an important environmental problem in the city. The teaching institution where the present research was carried out is located in the old part of the town and its students belong to the middle and lower-middle classes. E n v i r o n m e n t a l e d u c a t i o n in most cases occupies a marginal position in Spanish educational practice. There are very few instances where environmental education is totally integrated into the curriculum and where true environmental curricular projects have occurred. The students in the present study had received no previous formal environmental education, although it must be pointed out that the Spanish communications media are paying growing attention to environmental issues in general, and more specifically to those related to cities.
Methodology At the beginning of a school year, an anonymous, open-ended questionnaire was distributed to first year students (14-15-year olds), in order to detect what preconceptions they had about several aspects of their urban environment. The o b j e c t i v e of the first i t e m on the questionnaire was to find out what the concept of 132
'city' suggested to the students, what they judged to be the most significant urban components, and to what extent they perceived natural elements and environmental problems. Item 2, which allowed up to five answers, was used to determine which elements of their city were especially perceived and valued. Item 3 allowed the authors to find out which Table ! Answers of 14-15-year old students in Orense to the question "What does the word 'city' suggested to you?". (No. of students in survey = 201). Answer
Percentage of students
Large population Urban concentration Abundant services Excessive traffic Pollution in general Noise Employment opportunity Lack of green spaces Industrialisation Atmospheric pollution Something better than rural Amusement Monuments Municipal government Power centre Violence Civilisation Unemployment
75.1 47.3 34.3 26.4 19.9 1@9 13.9 12.4 9.9 9.5 5.5 5.0 3.5 3.5 3.0 3.0 2.5 0.5
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Fig.2 A small park in the city of Orense, Spain.
Table 2 Answers of 14-15-year old students in Orense to the question "Where would you take a friend to visit in the city?". (No. of students in survey = 201). Answer
Percentage of students
Parks/gardens Thermal waters (Burgas) Cathedral Roman bridge Old monumental part Amusement locations Sporting areas Museums City centre Other bridges
99.0 87.6 71.1 49.2 48.3 21.9 21.9 19.9 10.9 7.0
were the most important problems of the city, as perceived by the students, and to what degree they were conscious of environmental issues. Finally, Item 4 had to do with the living organisms in the city and which of these the students knew and specially valued. The analysis of the answers was carried out from the replies given by the students. The answers were not mutually exclusive, i.e. a given student could have pointed out one or several different answers to a particular question.
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Fig.3 The Burgas, Orense, Spain, the site of a natural thermal spring.
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Fig.4 The Roman bridge over the river Mifio, Orense, Spain.
Results Item 1: Write down everything the word 'city' suggests to you. To the students in this study, the word 'city' suggested firstly a group of aspects such as a population accumulation (75.1 percent), urban concentration (47.3 percent), abundant services (34.3 percent) and excessive traffic (26.4 percent). Secondly, it suggested a group of environmental problems such as pollution in general (19.9 percent), noise (16.9 percent), lack of green spaces (12.4 percent) and atmospheric pollution (9.5 percent). A full analysis is given in Table 1. Item 2: lf you had to show the city of Orense to a friend, where would you take him~her? The IJlaces most often mentioned by the students for visits were first those of natural interest such as parks and gardens (Fig.2; 99.0 percent) and the natural thermal waters called the Burgas (Fig.3; 87.6 percent). Second were places with historic or artistic interest, such as the cathedral (71.1 percent), the Roman bridge (Fig.4; 49.2 percent) and the old monumental area (48.3 percent). The most often mentioned garden was the San Lazaro Garden (34 percent), which is farther from the school than the Posio garden (pointed out by 22 percent of the students). The explanation seems to be that the former is an important meeting centre for teenagers in the city. Very few leisure places were mentioned, such as amusement locations (21.9 percent), and sports areas (21.9 percent). Although, as previously pointed out, one of the gardens also caters for such needs. Interestingly, only 2 percent 134
Table 3 Perception of the problems of the city of Orense as given by 14-15-year old students. (No. of students in survey = 201). Answer
Percentage of students
Circulation and traffic Deficiencies in public services Solid waste Pollution in general Lack and/or deterioration of green areas Lack of employment Criminality/insecurity Drug abuse Pollution in rivers Mendicity/poverty Bushfires Housing Noise
72.2 46.8 29.9 24.9 23.4 17.4 14.4 12.4 8.5 7.0 4.5 4.0 4.0
of the students said they would take a friend to see the most important waterway crossing the city, the Mifio River. A full analysis of these results is given in Table 2. Item 3: You have been appointed Mayor of Orense, Congratulations. t Make a list of the problems you think your city has? The students mentioned as city problems first, a group of structural problems such as circulation and traffic (72.2 percent), problems with public services (46.8 p e r c e n t ) , the l a c k o f e m p l o y m e n t The Environmentalist
Table 4 Answers of 14-15-year old students in Orense, Spain, to the names of living organisms which the students have seen in the city. (No. of students in survey = 201). Answer
Percentage of students
Answer
Dogs Cats Doves Turkeys Canaries Flies Mice Birds Ants Trees Sparrows
91.0 82.0 70.5 53.5 48.0 40.5 30.0 29.0 29.0 27.0 23.0
Palm trees Cranebills Chickens Rose bushes Human beings Spiders Plants Pine trees Daisies Oak trees Grass
waste (29.9 percent), pollution in general (24.9 percent), lack and/or deterioration of green areas (23.4 percent), pollution of rivers (8.5 percent), bushfires (4.5 percent) and noise (4.0 percent). A third group included social problems: criminality, Percentage lack of security (14.4 percent), drug abuse (12.4 of students percent) and mendicity/poverty (7.0 percent). 21.5 20.5 18.5 18.0 17.0 15.5 14.0 12.5 6.5 6.5 4.5
Item 4: Give the names of living organisms you have seen in the city o f Orense. The organisms the students mentioned, listed by frequency, are shown in the categories given in Table 4. The fact that the first 10 categories were animals, and that the most frequently mentioned plant category (trees) was only ticked by 27 percent of the students was noticeable. 34 percent of the participants did not mention any plant or vegetable and only 1 percent mentioned fungi, whereas all of them mentioned some form of animal. Discussion
Table 5 Answers of 14-15-year old students in Orense, Spain, about what the city suggests and its problems, grouped according to Bailly's categories (1979). (No. of students in survey = 201). What does the word 'city' suggest to you?
Percentage of students
Exclusively socio-structural characteristics Socio-structural and natural characteristics Exclusively natural characteristics
55.7 44.3 0.0
What do you think are the problems of the city? Exclusively socio-structural Socio-structural and natural Exclusively natural Don't know/no response
30.4 57.2 11.4 1.0
opportunities (17.4 percent) and housing (4.0 percent) (Table 3). T h e c i r c u l a t i o n and t r a f f i c c a t e g o r y encompassed answers such as: narrow streets in a bad condition, excessive traffic circulation, little parking space, traffic jams, the problems with buses, the lack of pedestrian streets and deficient traffic signs. In the problems in public services category, they mentioned the lack of leisure, cultural and sports facilities, the lack of educational centres, and problems to do with medical services. A second group of answers of importance was made up of the so called environmental problems, such as solid Volume 14, Number 2 (1994)
Conceptions of the students about the city The natural aspects seem to have been much less important than the socio-cultural ones in the students' preconception of their city (Table 5). This has already been pointed out in a similar study (CMIDE, 1987). Thus, all of the students mentioned socio-structural characteristics but only 44.3 percent also mentioned natural characteristics. This is logical, cities are, after all, severely modified environments influenced by the human species. Despite this, nature acquired a greater importance for the students when they tried to identify the problems of the city. In this case, 87.6 percent of the students mention socio-structural problems and 68.6 percent natural problems (Table 5). The students pointed out structural problems (circulation of traffic, public services, lack of employment opportunities) (Table 3) in higher percentages than social problems (criminality, lack of security, drug abuse, mendicity/pover~y). Natural problems occupied an intermediate position and the most cited category (urban solid waste) only achieved 29.9 percent. Only 8.5 percent mentioned the pollution of the rivers, which is particularly evident in the case of the Barbafia River which crosses the city. Some of the most evident features of the city of Orense, such as its relative importance as a population centre, its substantial urbanisation over the last three decades, its condition as a serviceoriented city or its excessive traffic, dominated the conceptions of the students (Table 1). On the other hand, the importance of the city as a political centre, in consequence of its position of provincial capital, which in turn justifies the importance of the services 135
sector, was scarcely recognised (3.0 percent). Among the most cited places for visitors in the city a~e those three which are considered as emblematic elements of Orense (the thermal springs, the cathedral and the Roman bridge) (Table 2). There is a popular saying that associates and identifies the cLty by means of these three ~eaturea~ which may have influenced the students. The urban natural environment seen as something essentially problematic In the students' conception of the city (Table 1), elements related with the natural environments were also mentioned, but they were always linked to negative aspects (pollution~ noise, lack of green areas, etc.). As opposed to this secondary and negative role of the natural environment in the conception of the city, practically all of the students recommended visiting the parks and gardens (99.0 percent; Table 2). This fact can be explained in pa~'-t by the important therapeutic value of visiting and contemplating such spaces (Gonz~ilez, 1985). Other studies (Grena and Ancona, 1989) have pointed out that vegetation is specially valued as a feature of a city. Also~ one of the gardens is an important social meeting place for the teenagers of the city. It was surprising that only 2 percent of the students would take a friend to visit the Mifio River, despite the fact that it is a dominant element of the urban scene. It divides the city into two parts and a Roman bridge spans the river. The explanation can be given by the condition of Orense as a city which has grown with its back to the river (Requejo et al., 1989), for the houses next to the river back onto it. The riverside is also in a very degraded state. Conceptions about the living creatures of the city The most cited living creatures of the city were domestic animals or animals in captivity (dogs, cats, doves, ducks, turkeys, canaries). On the other hand, small living creatures, both animals (flies, ants and spiders) and plants were scarcely mentioned, and algae were not mentioned at all. These observations agree with those found in other works, where it has been pointed out that teenagers have a concept of 'animal' which is restricted to animals in the zoo, pets and farm animals (Bell, 1981; Belt and Baker, 1982; Trowbridge and Mintzes, 1985; 1988), or that they identify animals and plants with living beings of large sizes (Stead, 1980a; 1980b; Bell, 1981; Velasco, 1991). The answers given by the students seemed to indicate that they knew the animals of the city better than the plants. Also, for them it was easier to identify the different animals by their common names than the plants. Generic denominations, such as tree cr plant were commonly used. The existence, 136
r e c o g n i s e d by the s t u d e n t s , of a l t e r n a t i v e conceptions to the scientific ones with regard to the classification of animals has already been pointed out (Bell, 1981; Trowbridge and Mintzes, 1985, 1988; Braund, 1991), as well as the influence imposed by their personal attitudes or experiences 03~aund, 1991). The reason why the human species was only cited by 17.0 percent of the students, when it is one of the most abundant living creatures in the city might be that the students do not identify the human s p e c i e s as an animal, u s i n g r a t i o n a l i t y to differentiate it from the idea of an animal (Velasco, 1991). Recommendations
for Curricular
Design
Certain conclusions reached from this survey suggest possible modifications to the teaching curriculum of students living in urban areas, and in particular to the future environmental education programmes of Spanish students. Some aspects of urban reality were already well known and/or valued by the students in the survey. These should be used as elements to motivate learning, for they form part of their recognised environment. Among these aspects of the urban environment were: - So~ae locations of natural (parks/gardens, thermal waters) and historic-artistic (cathedral, Roman bridge, old monumental part of the city) interest p a r t i c u l a r l y those that have an emblematic character. - The structural problems (circulation and traffic, d e f i c i e n c i e s in p u b l i c services, lack of employment). - Large animals and those which have a closer relationship with human beings because they are kept in capti~vity or are domesticated or cultivated. There are other aspects of the city that were not well known and/or valued by the students, and in these areas the teaching/learning process should try to improve upon this knowledge, dedicating s u p p l e m e n t a r y effort to the d e s i g n and implementation of the curriculum input. Such urban aspects are: - Environmental problems (waste, pollution, lack of green areas). - Social problems (criminality and lack of security, drug abuse, mendicity/poverty). - Small animals and those which have less relationship with the human species because they live in the wild, i.e. plants such as lichens, ferns and fungi. Developing on this information, the first year of secondary schooling (14-15-year olds) in natural science subjects at the I.B. 'Otero Pedrayo' school The Environmentalist
centre in Orense has been modified to include: s t u d i e s of the c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s and living conditions of animals found in the parks (doves, ducks, peacocks, etc.), viewing of a video about birds in gardens, an itinerary for the observation and study of urban birds, a bibliographic search about the main types of household animals (dogs and cats) and the care they require, the reading of a text about cruelty to animals and a debate about the topic, - research about the destiny of abandoned dogs, an examination using slides of the plants present in the city, reading and commenting on a text about the ecological importance of climbing plants in the city, - study on the care of household plants, study of leaves and fruits, measuring the height and thickness of urban trees. Identification and determination using an ad hoc key. debate on which are the environmental problems of the city and how they could be solved, followed by writing a letter to the mayor of the city about both topics, - visits by a local ecologist group and debates about urban environmental problems, - research into a waste disposal site in the city (types and origins of refuse, etc.), debate on the uses of water and the pollution of the rivers, using newspaper clippings and a text on the presence of phosphates in detergents, - discussions on whether there are enough green areas in the city, whether they are well taken care of, on their current use and for what they should be used, visual and stereo-microscopic viewing of lichens, moss and ferns from the walls and facades of buildings, - the collection and microscopic study of algae from the thermal waters and lichens from trees, - research on lichens as indicators of atmospheric pollution, - the collection and study of invertebrates in urban areas (Collins, 1984), discussions on the differences and similarities between the human species and other groups of animals.
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This work has been supported in part by the Xunta de Galicia, research project XUGA 37201-A91.
Volume 14, Number 2 (1994)
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