Application of Citizen Science to Sheep as a Model to Sensitize Young Citizens to Biodiversity, Animal Welfare and the Social Utility of Research
Citizen science activities were performed using sheep as an animal model and involving 252 students aged between 9 and 11 years. The study focused on three pillars: hill/mountain landscape biodiversity, animal welfare and the social utility of research. Two types of tests—“attitude questionnaires” (...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/201 |
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| author | Sara Moscatelli Anna Paniccià Elisa Palmioli Laura Del Gobbo Francesca Mercati Paola Scocco |
| author_facet | Sara Moscatelli Anna Paniccià Elisa Palmioli Laura Del Gobbo Francesca Mercati Paola Scocco |
| author_sort | Sara Moscatelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Citizen science activities were performed using sheep as an animal model and involving 252 students aged between 9 and 11 years. The study focused on three pillars: hill/mountain landscape biodiversity, animal welfare and the social utility of research. Two types of tests—“attitude questionnaires” (AQs) and “maximum performance tests” (MPTs)—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 of 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/false options in respect to a sentence. The correlations between MPT scores and school evaluations for science subjects were analyzed. Among the fifteen AQ items specific to the pillars, four items related to biodiversity, three items related to animal welfare and two items related to the social utility of research, showing a significant difference (<i>p</i> < 0.05) for the second AQ’s responses. Two items showed sex-related differences. The analysis of the data from the MPT showed that the didactic methodology used was effective and improved the position of most children by bringing them into higher science evaluation groups. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6681393f744741678cbb662751caed5a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-6681393f744741678cbb662751caed5a2025-01-24T13:18:03ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-01-0115220110.3390/ani15020201Application of Citizen Science to Sheep as a Model to Sensitize Young Citizens to Biodiversity, Animal Welfare and the Social Utility of ResearchSara Moscatelli0Anna Paniccià1Elisa Palmioli2Laura Del Gobbo3Francesca Mercati4Paola Scocco5International School of Advanced Studies, PhD Course “One Health” University of Camerino, Via Madonna delle Carceri 9, 62032 Camerino, ItalySchool of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Pontoni 5, 62032 Camerino, ItalyDepartment of Philosophy, Social Sciences, and Education, PhD Course “Ethics of Communication, Scientific Research and Technological Innovation” University of Perugia, Piazza G. Ermini, 1, 06123 Perugia, ItalySchool of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Pontoni 5, 62032 Camerino, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, ItalySchool of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Pontoni 5, 62032 Camerino, ItalyCitizen science activities were performed using sheep as an animal model and involving 252 students aged between 9 and 11 years. The study focused on three pillars: hill/mountain landscape biodiversity, animal welfare and the social utility of research. Two types of tests—“attitude questionnaires” (AQs) and “maximum performance tests” (MPTs)—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 of 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/false options in respect to a sentence. The correlations between MPT scores and school evaluations for science subjects were analyzed. Among the fifteen AQ items specific to the pillars, four items related to biodiversity, three items related to animal welfare and two items related to the social utility of research, showing a significant difference (<i>p</i> < 0.05) for the second AQ’s responses. Two items showed sex-related differences. The analysis of the data from the MPT showed that the didactic methodology used was effective and improved the position of most children by bringing them into higher science evaluation groups.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/201biodiversitysheepanatomical parametersadipokinessustainabilitycitizen science |
| spellingShingle | Sara Moscatelli Anna Paniccià Elisa Palmioli Laura Del Gobbo Francesca Mercati Paola Scocco Application of Citizen Science to Sheep as a Model to Sensitize Young Citizens to Biodiversity, Animal Welfare and the Social Utility of Research Animals biodiversity sheep anatomical parameters adipokines sustainability citizen science |
| title | Application of Citizen Science to Sheep as a Model to Sensitize Young Citizens to Biodiversity, Animal Welfare and the Social Utility of Research |
| title_full | Application of Citizen Science to Sheep as a Model to Sensitize Young Citizens to Biodiversity, Animal Welfare and the Social Utility of Research |
| title_fullStr | Application of Citizen Science to Sheep as a Model to Sensitize Young Citizens to Biodiversity, Animal Welfare and the Social Utility of Research |
| title_full_unstemmed | Application of Citizen Science to Sheep as a Model to Sensitize Young Citizens to Biodiversity, Animal Welfare and the Social Utility of Research |
| title_short | Application of Citizen Science to Sheep as a Model to Sensitize Young Citizens to Biodiversity, Animal Welfare and the Social Utility of Research |
| title_sort | application of citizen science to sheep as a model to sensitize young citizens to biodiversity animal welfare and the social utility of research |
| topic | biodiversity sheep anatomical parameters adipokines sustainability citizen science |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/2/201 |
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