從遊客的角度探討現代動物園在環境教育工作推廣上扮演的角色

The Role of Modern Zoos in Environmental Education: The Visitors' Perspective

劉松達

《台灣教育》 697期 (2016/02) Pp. 14-21

摘要

臺北市立動物園聲稱自身是個具「教育」、「研究」、「保育」與「遊憩」四種功能的現代動物園。但由於受臺北市政府教育局管轄，因此主要透過教育與遊憩功能的發揮，來落實環境教育廣之工作。本文以結構方程式模型，探討對遊客而言，除了教育和遊憩功能，動物園的研究與保育功能角色是否能成為影響他們對動物園環境教育工作認同厲的中介變項。透過蒐集472個有效樣本之數據進行分析，結果顯示結構方程式的中介效果成立。意即若遊客也能認同臺北市立動物園的研究與保育功能角色，那遊客原本對動物園的教育與遊憩功能的正向認知，便更能驅使他們對動物園環境教育工作表現環抱正向的認同感。對環境教育工作者而言，本文提供了一個不同的思考角度:在以寓教於樂的方式規劃環境教育課程的同時，可以適時地向受眾傳達研究和保育等專業訊息，讓他們能更加認同自己參與相關活動的行為意義。

關鍵字

動物園 ； 環境教育 ； 結構方程式模型 ； 偏最小平方法 ； 中介效果

並列摘要

Taipei Zoo claims to be a modern zoo that plays four functional roles: education, research, conservation, and recreation. However, as the zoo is administrated by the Department of Education of Taipei City Government, education and recreation functions are the main vehicles for the zoo to develop its environmental education plan. This paper employs the structural equation model to examine when visitors' re cognition of the zoo' s education and recreation functions causes them to approve the zoo's environmental education programs, and whether the zoo's research and conservation functions would become a mediating variable within the causal relation. Based on the 472 validated samples, the result suggest that the research and conservation functions present s a mediation effect. According to the findings, the paper suggests that education and recreation may be factors for a successful environmental education activities, while planners can consider highlighting the professional knowledge concerned with environmental research and conservation in the activity. This type of arrangement can make the environmental education programs more meaningful, and thus increase the participants' approval of them.

並列關鍵字

zoo ； environmental education ； SEM ； PLS ； mediation effect