Transforming Children’s Attitudes Toward Insects Through In-School Encounters
Each year, the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech hosts an entomology-themed outreach event known as Hokie BugFest. This on-campus, festival-sized experience aims to educate the public about insects and other arthropods through hands-on activities, games, displays, and live arthropods. In 202...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Insects |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/1/93 |
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| author | Kathleen M. Miller Dana K. Beegle Stephanie Blevins Wycoff Daniel L. Frank |
| author_facet | Kathleen M. Miller Dana K. Beegle Stephanie Blevins Wycoff Daniel L. Frank |
| author_sort | Kathleen M. Miller |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Each year, the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech hosts an entomology-themed outreach event known as Hokie BugFest. This on-campus, festival-sized experience aims to educate the public about insects and other arthropods through hands-on activities, games, displays, and live arthropods. In 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hokie BugFest and similar large public events were cancelled. In response, the department launched Hokie BugFest on the Go, which offered smaller-scale, in-person learning opportunities during these closures. Instead of hosting the community on campus, Virginia Tech’s Department of Entomology brought live arthropods, university experts, and the exciting science of entomology directly into schools, fostering small-group, hands-on learning experiences. In 2022, a playful assessment was added to the traveling outreach program to measure changes in student attitudes and perceptions of insects and other arthropods before and after the program. The assessment also gauged students’ favorite arthropods after seeing, and in some cases handling, them live during the program. Assessment results revealed valuable insights into how hands-on, applied learning experiences can shift children’s attitudes toward arthropods. Results showed that even after expressing trepidation and fears, students’ knowledge and comfort levels with insects and other arthropods increased as they interacted and learned throughout the program. These findings underscore the value of using engaging, hands-on, small-group approaches when designing entomology-themed outreach events for young audiences and offer guidance for future programs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f019041ec1514ac5b3549891d64991d7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj-art-f019041ec1514ac5b3549891d64991d72025-01-24T13:35:52ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502025-01-011619310.3390/insects16010093Transforming Children’s Attitudes Toward Insects Through In-School EncountersKathleen M. Miller0Dana K. Beegle1Stephanie Blevins Wycoff2Daniel L. Frank3Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USADepartment of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USADepartment of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USADepartment of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USAEach year, the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech hosts an entomology-themed outreach event known as Hokie BugFest. This on-campus, festival-sized experience aims to educate the public about insects and other arthropods through hands-on activities, games, displays, and live arthropods. In 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hokie BugFest and similar large public events were cancelled. In response, the department launched Hokie BugFest on the Go, which offered smaller-scale, in-person learning opportunities during these closures. Instead of hosting the community on campus, Virginia Tech’s Department of Entomology brought live arthropods, university experts, and the exciting science of entomology directly into schools, fostering small-group, hands-on learning experiences. In 2022, a playful assessment was added to the traveling outreach program to measure changes in student attitudes and perceptions of insects and other arthropods before and after the program. The assessment also gauged students’ favorite arthropods after seeing, and in some cases handling, them live during the program. Assessment results revealed valuable insights into how hands-on, applied learning experiences can shift children’s attitudes toward arthropods. Results showed that even after expressing trepidation and fears, students’ knowledge and comfort levels with insects and other arthropods increased as they interacted and learned throughout the program. These findings underscore the value of using engaging, hands-on, small-group approaches when designing entomology-themed outreach events for young audiences and offer guidance for future programs.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/1/93entomology outreach eventselementary educationscience literacy eventarthropods |
| spellingShingle | Kathleen M. Miller Dana K. Beegle Stephanie Blevins Wycoff Daniel L. Frank Transforming Children’s Attitudes Toward Insects Through In-School Encounters Insects entomology outreach events elementary education science literacy event arthropods |
| title | Transforming Children’s Attitudes Toward Insects Through In-School Encounters |
| title_full | Transforming Children’s Attitudes Toward Insects Through In-School Encounters |
| title_fullStr | Transforming Children’s Attitudes Toward Insects Through In-School Encounters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transforming Children’s Attitudes Toward Insects Through In-School Encounters |
| title_short | Transforming Children’s Attitudes Toward Insects Through In-School Encounters |
| title_sort | transforming children s attitudes toward insects through in school encounters |
| topic | entomology outreach events elementary education science literacy event arthropods |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/16/1/93 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kathleenmmiller transformingchildrensattitudestowardinsectsthroughinschoolencounters AT danakbeegle transformingchildrensattitudestowardinsectsthroughinschoolencounters AT stephanieblevinswycoff transformingchildrensattitudestowardinsectsthroughinschoolencounters AT daniellfrank transformingchildrensattitudestowardinsectsthroughinschoolencounters |