Impact of teacher training in conservation education on student learning in primary schools adjacent to Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Uganda; Africa

Conservation education requires a multidisciplinary approach that ideally incorporates iterative monitoring to inform decision making and facilitate achievement of conservation goals. Despite their value and importance, evaluations of conservation education programmes are often challenging to conduct, and are published infrequently. In this study the impact of teacher training on student learning of environmental conservation concepts was assessed in students at 10 schools within 5 km of Kibale National Park, Uganda. Student surveys were administered at the beginning and end of each of 3 school years, throughout which teachers engaged in conservation education training. Results suggest students' conservation knowledge (e.g. knowing which species live in Kibale National Park, and how students themselves could help conserve wildlife) increased throughout each school year, but there were mixed results regarding the extent to which students showed improved understanding of the environmental problems threatening wildlife, and the reasons underlying the importance of conserving the Park. Understanding student knowledge gains and attitude shifts associated with teacher training in conservation education is important for knowing whether focusing on teachers contributes to intended impacts on student learning. Additional research on outcomes associated with long-term conservation education programmes will be useful for continuing to identify best practices in wildlife conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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