Nicholl, Joanne;
(2024)
“You want to go see yourself?” Exploring human-animal relationships among biology A-level students on a trip to the zoo.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
Preview |
Text
Nicholl_10187422_thesis_id_removed.pdf Download (22MB) | Preview |
Abstract
The use of anthropomorphic talk in biology education has often been met with disapproval, arguing that it reinforces anthropocentric ideas and instrumental values. Using a sociocultural perspective, this case study explores how two classes of Biology students aged 16 – 17 talk about and perceive nonhuman animals at a zoo. Data was collected from two separate zoo trips, where the zoo talk was recorded, and observational notes made. Post zoo-trip interviews were carried out with students, with the data being analysed and triangulated against the ‘zoo trip data’. Findings reveal that students utilise physical, social, and mental comparisons between themselves and nonhuman animals to begin to make sense of the animals. This is achieved with varying degrees of adoption of the animals' perspectives. Building upon different conceptions of anthropomorphism, this thesis introduces an 'animal talk' framework designed for implementation in biology education. The framework aims to offer a more nuanced approach to animal talk. The research introduces three distinct approaches to perceiving nonhuman animals in the classroom: employing a naïve egomorphism, subtle egomorphism, or an altermorphism. Naïve egomorphism facilitates closer connections to the animals, whereas subtle egomorphism endeavours to embrace the animal's perspective and initiate an empathic connection. Contrasting these, an altermorphism envisions nonhuman animals as 'Other’, emphasising their distinctiveness from the self. This recognition of animals as 'Other' is deliberated in terms of its significance for environmental education and cultivating responsibility towards species beyond our own, and towards more comprehensive ecological systems. The pedagogical implications of this framework are discussed, encompassing how educators, both in the science classroom and at zoos, can employ it to enhance students' comprehension of biology.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | “You want to go see yourself?” Exploring human-animal relationships among biology A-level students on a trip to the zoo |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2024. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10187422 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
