What Do Students Know about Rivers and Their Management? Analysis by Educational Stages and Territories

Rubén Ladrera, Pablo Rodríguez-Lozano, Iraima Verkaik, Narcís Prat and José Ramón Díez
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Rubén Ladrera: Area of Didactics of Experimental Sciences, Department of Agriculture and Food, University of La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain
Pablo Rodríguez-Lozano: Department of Geography, University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma, Spain
Iraima Verkaik: Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management Research Group, University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
Narcís Prat: Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management Research Group, University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
José Ramón Díez: Department of Mathematics and Experimental Sciences Education, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 20, 1-16

Abstract: The overall purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge that students have about the ecosystem concept of rivers and their sustainable management. A survey of nine questions gathered responses from 3447 students at three different Spanish education levels (Primary, Secondary, and bachelor’s degree in Primary Education) and six different geographic territories in the Iberian Peninsula. Respondents showed a limited understanding of rivers, much simpler than the ecosystem concept, which was related to proposals of unsustainable management of these ecosystems. Although the results were analogous among territories, undergraduate students had a more complex concept of rivers as well as more sustainable ideas regarding their management compared with Primary and Secondary Education students. This study demonstrates the lack of knowledge transfer between science and students regarding river ecosystems. Current educational programs should be adapted to address, even at early stages of education, the sustainability challenges around river ecosystems.

Keywords: river; education for sustainability; environmental education; educational stages; ecosystem concept; sustainable river management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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