Abstract
An interview study of 56 elementary students (grades K-6) was conducted during the summer. The purpose of the study was to determine the students’ understanding about insect characteristics, their life cycles, environmental conditions, and their impacts on humans. Third graders and older students had a broader understanding about insects’ characteristics than K-2 students. Overall, students lacked an understanding of insects’ life cycle which differs from Shepardson’s (1997) three-stage model that omitted the egg. Students had greater personal knowledge about the harmful than about the helpful aspects of insects for humans. Suggestions are made on building units of instruction using students’ personal questions about insects.
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Barrow, L.H. What do elementary students know about insects?. J Elem Sci Edu 14, 53–60 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173848
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173848