77° Convegno SISVET

This observational study was performed using the sheep as animal model; it involved 252 students aged between 9 and 11 years. Study focused about three project pillars: biodiversity of the hilly /mountain landscape, animal welfare, social utility of research. Two types of tests “attitude questionnaire” (AQ) and “maximum performance test” (MPT) were administered. The AQ was administered before and at the end of the project to compare the children’s sensitivity to the treated topics and to assess their awareness toward the project’s pillars. For each AQ item children expressed their agreement/disagreement by choosing from five response modes. The MPT aim was to evaluate if children had understood the explained topics, by "true" or "false" options respect to a sentence. The correlation between MPT score and school Science evaluations was analyzed. Among the 15 AQ items specific for pillars, 4 items related to biodiversity, 3 items related to animal welfare and 2 items related to social utility of research, showed a significant difference in the second attitude test’s responses. The analysis of data from the MPT showed that the didactic methodology used was effective and improved the position of the majority of children bringing them into higher Science evaluation groups.