Using entomological collections to enhance elementary school learning

Jan Walter; Jiří Kout

doi:10.29333/ejhbe/16865

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Jan Walter ¹ ^* , Jiří Kout ¹

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¹ Department of Biology, Geosciences and Environmental Education, Faculty of Education, University of West Bohemia, Plzeň, CZECH REPUBLIC^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Insects are the most successful group of living organisms on the earth. They are a regular part of the school curriculum and, in light of ongoing insect extinction, should become one of the crucial topics in education. For proper understanding, it is necessary to support learning activities with a focus on species identification. We compared two demonstrative methods of teaching insect species at the lower secondary stage in elementary schools. Demonstrations using entomological collections and images were evaluated to determine which method is more effective for knowledge acquisition. Statistical analyses showed significant differences between the two observed learning methods. Pupils who used biological collections achieved better results compared to those who learned using images only.

Keywords

insects
insect collection
teaching
pupils
biology
science education

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

European Journal of Health and Biology Education, Volume 12, Issue 1, 2025, Article No: e2508

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejhbe/16865

Publication date: 03 Sep 2025

Article Views: 264

Article Downloads: 88

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How to cite this article

APA

Walter, J., & Kout, J. (2025). Using entomological collections to enhance elementary school learning. European Journal of Health and Biology Education, 12(1), e2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejhbe/16865

Vancouver

Walter J, Kout J. Using entomological collections to enhance elementary school learning. European Journal of Health and Biology Education. 2025;12(1):e2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejhbe/16865

AMA

Walter J, Kout J. Using entomological collections to enhance elementary school learning. European Journal of Health and Biology Education. 2025;12(1), e2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejhbe/16865

Chicago

Walter, Jan, and Jiří Kout. "Using entomological collections to enhance elementary school learning". European Journal of Health and Biology Education 2025 12 no. 1 (2025): e2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejhbe/16865

Harvard

Walter, J., and Kout, J. (2025). Using entomological collections to enhance elementary school learning. European Journal of Health and Biology Education, 12(1), e2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejhbe/16865

MLA

Walter, Jan et al. "Using entomological collections to enhance elementary school learning". European Journal of Health and Biology Education, vol. 12, no. 1, 2025, e2508. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejhbe/16865