O zoológico como ferramenta para o aprimoramento do conhecimento de crianças sobre animais

Abstract

Increasingly, we have commented on the effect of contact with nature on the knowledge gain of children, making them more aware of the current environmental problems. However, due to the increasing urbanization, this contact is becoming increasingly rare, being important to find sites that allow the interaction and construction of ecological knowledge. Within this scenario, zoos are presented as an excellent option, especially in urban environments. Zoos have two key factors that can favor the gain of knowledge: the effect of contact through visualization and the effect of a well-structured education program. Although it is known that only a well-structured education program leads to the gain of knowledge by children, it is not known if the contact alone would lead to an increase in the knowledge of children when visiting a zoo. To remedy this gap, we conducted 169 pre- and post-visit interviews with children who visited Dois Irmãos State Park (Recife / PE, Brazil). The zoo has a range of exotic and native animals, but they do not have a well-structured educational program. The knowledge of the children was evaluated through a form with questions related to the ecological knowledge about the species of animals. Our results indicate that the children's knowledge did not depend on the visit and we did not see a gain in the experience lived through the visit to a zoo. In only one aspect of our research, when questioned about the origin of the animal, we verified that the visit influenced the knowledge of the children. Visibly, when it comes to zoos, only exposure to animals is not enough to generate knowledge gain and, due to the visit, the zoo has a well-structured education program to generate gain in children's knowledge.