What Do Pre-Service Preschool Teachers Know about Biodiversity at the Level of Organisms? Preliminary Analysis of Their Ability to Identify Vertebrate Animals

Abstract

The current global crisis has one of its worst sides in the biodiversity crisis. Biodiversity loss affects both species and the functionality of ecosystems. This leads to a decrease or loss of ecosystem services, with catastrophic effects on all living beings, including humans. In this sense, education must be another tool that contributes to biodiversity conservation. The aim of this research is to determine the knowledge that pre-service preschool teachers have about vertebrate animals. The results indicate that there is little knowledge of the native fauna (from a nearby regional geographical area). In this case we consider native fauna the fauna of the Iberian Peninsula, as this is the location of the research. The scarce knowledge of the native fauna can be an obstacle to its teaching and therefore to its conservation. In this sense, training actions are needed to provide teachers with knowledge of native biodiversity so that the school can act as a complement to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.