Analysis of Initial Survey Results
Background and Learnings
After distributing the survey questionnaire, I received responses from only two participants out of the expected ten. This low response rate highlighted some issues with the timing and method of distribution:
- Timing: The survey was conducted just before the end of the school year, a particularly stressful period for teachers.
- Distribution Method: The questionnaire was sent by intermediaries to people who did not know me, reducing the perceived importance of completing it.
- Length and Complexity: The survey contained numerous questions, requiring significant time to complete.
Future Improvements:
- Contact participants directly to enhance engagement.
- Consider conducting in-person interviews for more in-depth data.
- Use a shorter, more focused online questionnaire to reach a larger audience quickly.
For a balanced dataset, gathering 2-3 responses per different age range of children would be ideal. Despite the limited data, the responses provide a valuable starting point for this topic.
Results of survey
Kindergarten Teacher (Children aged 0-6)
- Animal Welfare: The teacher believes discussing animal welfare is premature for this age group. Instead, the focus should be on learning about animals in general and how to handle them properly.
- Teaching Respect: She emphasizes being an idol through her behavior, demonstrating respect for others and animals. She teaches children never to touch unfamiliar animals and shows them how to handle known animals.
- Nature Respect: She fosters respect for nature by familiarizing children with local flora and fauna.
- Mediums Used: The teacher uses real images to show how animals look and prefers picture books as her medium of choice.
- Developmental Consideration: She stresses the importance of considering children’s developmental stages rather than just their age. Ensuring a focused, undisturbed environment is crucial when introducing new topics.
- Main Goal: Her primary aim is for children to become familiar with their surroundings and see as much as possible from a young age. Discussions on animal welfare should come later, when children can understand more complex topics.
Elementary School Teacher (Children aged 6-10)
- Communication Style: The teacher continues to use simple and visual communication methods.
- Animal Welfare Topics: She introduces topics like handling pets and meat consumption. Her class dedicates a week to animal welfare around World Animal Welfare Day.
- Mediums Used: She uses picture books and age-appropriate images from the web.
- Experience with Disturbing Content: Previously, she used disturbing videos but found them ineffective and now avoids such methods. She continues to discuss the importance of treating animals well and environmental issues.
Image Preferences
Both teachers preferred the most realistic still illustrated image (Image 1). But also number 3 and 4 could work. They found the other images nice and pretty but too unrealistic or imaginative to effectively convey the topic.
Overall, I gained a solid foundation from the responses, which answered some questions but also raised new ones. There is still a possibility of receiving additional questionnaires from older age groups, which will be crucial in determining the focus age group for my work. The insights provided were valuable, and I am considering focusing on wildlife and nature in Austria. I might convey this information through a picture book format. This idea needs further thought, and once I finalize my direction, I will need to conduct in-depth interviews and additional research.
