What Sense Do Children Make of Three‐Dimensional, Life‐Sized “Representations” of Animals?

摘要

One way of investigating what children learn about animals is to examine, the menial models they reveal through their talk when they come face to face with animal representations. In this study, representations were provided by (a) robotic models in a museum, (b) preserved animals in a museum, and (c) preserved animals borrowed from a museum and presented in a school setting. By recording pupil talk in these three settings and then analyzing the content of the talk for comments about the anatomy of animals, their behaviour, habitat features, and so on, both similarities and significant differences are revealed by this study, depending on the setting. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for science education in both classroom and museum settings.