Raya Lyzanne Wolf
Paul Wilhelm Dierkes
Matthias Winfried Kleespies- Department of Bioscience Education and Zoo Biology, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
Introduction: Zoological gardens, which are popular destinations for school trips due to their important function as an extracurricular place of learning, also regard themselves as important institutions for environmental protection. However, there are only a limited number of studies that deal with teachers’ attitudes toward zoos. The aim of this study is to investigate how teachers and trainee teachers perceive zoos as an extracurricular learning place.
Methods: For this purpose, 126 teaching students and 303 teachers from Frankfurt participated in a paper or online survey. The survey covered three different topics: emotional attitude toward the zoo, perception of the zoo’s tasks, and perception of the zoo as an extracurricular place of learning. Furthermore, participants were asked about their previous experiences at the zoo. The study examined differences between genders, different age groups, and different teaching professions.
Results: The results reveal no difference between the genders, but significant differences between age groups, with younger generations having more negative perceptions than older ones. Additionally, teachers from primary schools have a more positive view of the zoo as an extracurricular place of learning compared to those from high schools.
Discussion: It is therefore important to educate future teachers about the opportunities of zoos and the various ways in which they can be integrated into the classroom. In order to achieve this, zoos must establish additional points of contact for secondary schools, such as guided tours or specific teaching materials.
1 Introduction
Climate change, environmental pollution and the loss of biodiversity remain an increasing threat to our environment (Jaureguiberry et al., 2022). It is therefore important to ensure that younger generations are made aware of the relevance of environmental protection. Environmental education is seen as an important way of educating children and adolescents about environmental issues, improving their attitudes and knowledge, and changing their environmental behavior (van de Wetering et al., 2022). Zoos have the potential to play an instrumental role in this context, as they provide an important out-of-school place for learning and are frequently visited by millions of people each year (Ballantyne and Packer, 2016; Clayton et al., 2009; WAZA, 2001). In recent decades, zoos have increasingly adopted this educational role and have continued to evolve away from being ‘living museums’ to become educational centers (Rabb, 2004; Beer et al., 2023; Miranda et al., 2023). Zoos themselves now consider education to be one of their core responsibilities and most important missions (Patrick et al., 2007).
Consequently, there has been an increasing trend toward zoos establishing their own educational departments, with the objective of developing and delivering a diverse range of educational programs (Andersen, 2003). Empirical studies demonstrate that zoo visits can increase environmental knowledge, concern for environmental issues, and connection to nature (Clayton et al., 2017; Godinez and Fernandez, 2019; Clayton et al., 2014; Bruni et al., 2008; Kelly et al., 2014; Kleespies et al., 2022). In addition, it was shown that the effects of educational measures in zoos can be influenced by the characteristics of the programs: guided, interactive, and sufficiently long activities tend to produce stronger learning outcomes than unguided visits (Lindemann-Matthies and Kamer, 2006; Collins et al., 2021; Collins et al., 2020; Jerger et al., 2022). Programs that include direct animal contact or that integrate conservation-related content have also been shown to be particularly effective (Feucht et al., 2025). Repeat zoo visitors are more interested in conservation than people visiting a zoo for the first time (Godinez and Fernandez, 2019). Positive effects are especially evident among individuals with limited prior experience with wildlife or lower connection to nature (Wagoner and Jensen, 2010; Kleespies et al., 2020). As extracurricular learning environments are associated with high student motivation and opportunities for active and collaborative learning (Wünschmann et al., 2017; Jones and Washko, 2022), zoos represent a valuable educational resource, despite occasional public criticism regarding their educational role (Niekisch and Sommer, 2021; Falk et al., 2007).
In addition to the numerous positive results that research has been able to demonstrate on the success of educational programs at zoos, there are also some critical findings. Many evaluations focus mainly on short-term learning effects and rarely assess actual behavioral change (Schilbert and Scheersoi, 2023; McNally et al., 2025). Methodological weaknesses, such as inadequate descriptions of interventions or inconsistent measurement approaches, may also complicate the interpretation of their findings (Mellish et al., 2019; Malamud et al., 2010). Some studies have reported no measurable knowledge gains (Smith and Broad, 2008) or even declines in understanding after a zoo visit (Whitehouse-Tedd et al., 2022; Jensen, 2014).
For most people, the decision to visit a zoo depends on their personal perception of zoos. The majority of studies addressing the perception of zoological institutions have a key limitation in that they exclusively focus on their own visitors (Rees, 2023). Studies analyzing, for example, the perspective of teachers at schools, who are an important user group of educational programs at zoos, are currently lacking. In general individual characteristics influence how people evaluate zoos: visitors who perceive similarities between themselves and the animals tend to show greater empathy and attribute stronger conservation and educational roles to zoos, whereas those who feel less connected often view them mainly as entertainment (Muller et al., 2021). Perceptions are also shaped by subjective evaluations of animal welfare and by the behavior displayed by the animals (Salas et al., 2021; Phillips et al., 2024). In addition, many people often visit the zoo not only for educational purposes, but also to have fun or enjoy a nice day out with family, friends, or children (Ballantyne and Packer, 2016; Clayton et al., 2009; Turley, 2001).
Given that the decision to attend the zoo for a school class lies with the teacher, the attitude of teachers is of great importance in ensuring that students have the opportunity to participate in zoo based educational programs (Vukelić et al., 2022). Teachers frequently share their personal experiences and beliefs with their learning groups, especially on controversial topics (Breitenmoser et al., 2024; Nation and Feldman, 2022). In addition the motivation of the teacher influences the motivation and learning success of the leaners (Han and Yin, 2016). If the teachers have previously taken part in a zoo workshop, the increase in knowledge is significantly greater (White and de White and Jacobson, 1994; Cândido Vendrasco et al., 2025). Guided and well-prepared visits generally lead to stronger learning gains than unprepared visits (Jensen, 2014; de Boeve-Pauw et al., 2019).
Given the central role of teachers there is a notable lack of research on how this key stakeholder group perceives zoological institutions. The present study therefore examines how teachers and prospective teachers evaluate zoos, with a focus on their emotional perceptions, their views on the task of modern zoos, and their assessment of the zoo as an extracurricular educational institution.
Previous research has shown that attitudes can differ by gender and age (Alba et al., 2023; Villarroya et al., 2024; Kleespies et al., 2021). Gender differences are well documented for example for connection to nature or pro-environmental orientations (Liordos et al., 2017; Rosa et al., 2023). The consideration of age is relevant because different generations grow up under different conditions. The experiences acquired during childhood are a decisive factor in shaping future behavior (Cheng and Monroe, 2012; Tam, 2013). In addition, the use of the zoo as an extracurricular learning place differs between different types of schools (Tofield et al., 2003). Based on these known relations, this study will additionally examine the influence of age, gender, and type of school a teacher works at on their perception and view of zoos.
2 Methods
In accordance with the study’s objectives, a quantitative approach was adopted, utilizing a questionnaire to ensure the inclusion of a wide sample size. To capture the opinions of teachers and prospective teachers regarding the zoo as a potential extracurricular place of learning, both biology teacher trainees and teachers from a total of 230 schools were approached. The data was collected using two methods: an online survey and a paper-based questionnaire. The latter method was primarily used for student teachers, as they were approached directly at the university. The questionnaire was divided into three different sections. The first part dealt with general demographic questions regarding the person. The second part focused on attitudes toward zoological gardens in general, while the last block dealt with the zoo as an extracurricular place of learning. To assess the different positions, participants indicated their agreement on a five-point Likert scale (disagree—totally agree). This scale was used to provide participants with the opportunity to express varying degrees of agreement or a neutral perspective. The study was approved by the ethics committee of the science didactic institutes and departments of the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.
2.1 Participants and procedure
In the course of the survey, a total of 230 schools from the Frankfurt area (Hesse, Germany) were contacted to obtaining the opinions of teachers from different types of schools. The survey was conducted independently of the combination of school subjects taught by the teachers. The frequency of each subject is listed in Supplementary Appendix Table 1, which can be found in the appendix. In the student survey, on the other hand, only people studying biology for teaching or biology for primary school teaching were questioned. The implementation of this restriction was applicable to students, given the possibility of a targeted selection of courses. The majority of students were surveyed directly in their university courses, where they were given the paper questionnaire. The survey was conducted to identify any differences between generations of teachers, and as such, both trained teachers and teacher training students were included in the study. The students are predominantly composed of younger generations. It was necessary to incorporate different professional levels, as students benefit from a theoretical background, whereas teachers are already working in the field.
In order to reach as many teachers as possible, schools with prior personal contact were questioned. Additionally, the online questionnaire was disseminated by contacting the principals of various schools. The email transmission included a short information text on the background and the topic of the study. The importance of anonymity and the voluntariness of participation were emphasized. In addition to the use of the measurement instruments, the survey contained questions on the demographic data, including age, gender, teaching profession, and subject combination. The questionnaire for teachers and trainee teachers differed in this section by one question. Teachers were asked about the type of school in which they currently work, given that this differs in part from the teaching profession studied. In contrast, trainee teachers were asked to state their current semester of study.
The survey was completed by a total of 429 participants, including 126 students and 303 teachers. The gender distribution showed a significantly higher participation of women, with 323 participants identifying as female in comparison to 97 male participants. There were also differences in the teaching qualifications of the participants. The majority of respondents came from high school (N = 184) and primary school (N = 112) teaching professions, while the middle school teaching profession (N = 71) and the special education teaching profession (N = 62) only made up a smaller proportion. The education system in this country begins at primary school, which is typically attended by children between the ages of 6 and 10. The age range for middle school is from 10 to 16 years of age, while high school extends from 10 to 19 years of age. Special schools are institutions dedicated to the education of children with special needs between the ages of 6 and 16.
2.2 Measuring instrument
Due to the limited number of existing studies on this topic, it was necessary to develop a new questionnaire. Consequently, a distinct questionnaire was formulated for the segment of the questionnaire addressing general attitudes toward zoological gardens, based on the questionnaire developed by Spiriti et al. (2022). Table 1 shows all the questions that the participants were asked, divided into the three topic sections. Some of the items were translated directly from English to German and adopted, while the content of other items was based on the existing items. As Spiriti et al. (2022) focused on the ethical reputation of zoos, it was not possible to just use their survey. The present study was conducted with the objective of examining general perceptions, as well as perceptions of zoos as extracurricular learning venues. Consequently, items pertaining to the functions of zoos or those that addressed the emotions of respondents were utilized. Due to the limited number of items from Spiriti et al. (2022) that could be included, additional items were developed to complement the questionnaire. The thematic block dealing with general perceptions of the zoo included ten items. Within these block, five items addressing the tasks of zoos were included. These tasks include education, research, and species conservation. The other five items explored the emotional attitudes of the participants toward zoos with a focus on animal welfare. It should be noted that no questionnaire existed to assess the utilization of zoos as extracurricular educational places, so all five items were self-constructed. In this section, respondents were asked to indicate whether they would integrate the zoo into their own lessons. Furthermore, an item was formulated to address the existing experiences and the support provided by the zoo’s educational departments. In order to capture perceptions of extracurricular learning locations in a comprehensive manner, items relating to these different areas were created. The selection of five items per main topic was implemented to achieve an equal representation of all three themes. To ensure the consistency of the respondents’ answers, the items were formulated in positive and negative terms.
Table 1. All Items used for the survey, translated into English (original version in the Supplementary Appendix Table 2).
2.3 Data analysis
The statistical software IBM SPSS 29 was used to analyse the collected data. In order to simplify the analysis of the items, the first step was to reduce the dimensions using a principal component analysis (PCA) after the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett test confirmed the applicability of a PCA (KMO = 0.925; Bartlett: p < 0.001). The PCA was adjusted by varimax rotation. At the same time, small coefficients with an absolute value below 0.4 were suppressed. According to the Kaiser criterion, an eigenvalue of greater than 1 was set as the threshold for the extraction of components (Fabrigar et al., 1999), resulting in three components in the PCA (Supplementary Appendix Figure 1). The Cronbach’s alpha was additionally calculated. The first component includes items that address the respondents’ emotional attitude toward the zoo (α = 0.865). The second group of items considers the opinions on the various tasks of zoos (α = 0.874). The third group relates to the zoo as an extracurricular place of learning (α = 0.802). Since the standalone item in Table 1 enquires about prior experiences, and it is probable that not all respondents have encountered such experiences, it was excluded from the PCA and evaluated independently. Consequently, the third component comprises solely four items.
At the inception of the study, a comparative analysis among the three components – zoo’s tasks, emotional attitudes, and the zoo as an extracurricular learning place – was conducted. Furthermore, a comparison was made between the items comprising the zoo’s tasks component, with the objective of facilitating a more nuanced understanding of the individual tasks perceived importance. In order to achieve this objective, the mean value of the components and the mean value of the items of the zoo’s tasks were considered. The Friedman test was utilized to identify variations within the central tendencies. The main factors to be investigated in the study were gender, teaching profession, and age. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov (tasks: p < 0.001; emotional: p = 0.002; extracurricular place of learning: p < 0.001) and the Shapiro–Wilk tests (tasks: p < 0.001; emotional: p < 0.001; extracurricular place of learning: p < 0.001) indicated that the data were not normally distributed. The Mann–Whitney U test was used for the comparison between the genders due to the investigation’s focus on two distinct groups. A distinction between the genders was limited to the categories male and female, as the categories diverse and not specified contained only a small number of responses. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the four different teaching professions, as more than two groups had to be analysed. When significant differences were found, pairwise comparisons were conducted using the Dunn-Bonferroni test to examine the relationships between the different teaching qualifications. To further investigate age, participants were categorized into five age groups (1: 18–24, N = 100; 2: 25–34, N = 84; 3: 35–44, N = 71; 4: 45–54, N = 65; 5: 55+, N = 41). The youngest age group consists exclusively of students, as most complete their studies by the age of 25. Only a marginal proportion is distributed across the other age groups. The remaining participants were then divided into equal age intervals. The Kruskal-Wallis test was again used to assess the statistical significance of differences between the five age groups, given their composition of more than two categories. The Dunn-Bonferroni test was applied for post-hoc pairwise comparisons when significant effects were detected. In addition, the Spearman correlation was conducted between the three thematic areas in order to identify potential correlations.
3 Results
The results of the mean analysis demonstrate that people from the teaching sector tend to have a neutral to slightly positive attitude toward zoos in all areas. There is a stronger negative attitude regarding the emotional items (mean = 2.71), as compared to the zoo’s tasks (mean = 3.45) and its role as an extracurricular place of learning (mean = 3.52). In relation to the evaluation of the items regarding the tasks of zoos, the high level of recognition of the educational mission (mean = 4.00) is distinctive, which was to be expected given the composition of the respondents from the teaching profession. The respondents in general adopt a fairly neutral stance when reflecting on experiences they have previously encountered (mean = 3.29). The Friedman test shows a difference in all cases, with p < 0.001, with the exception of the comparison between the previous experiences and the zoos tasks (p = 0.635).
The gender comparison revealed no significant differences. Here, the Mann–Whitney U test gives a value of p = 0.211 in the emotional domain, p = 0.222 for the zoo tasks, and a value of p = 0.796 for the zoo as an extracurricular learning place. Furthermore, no discernible differences between the genders were observed in terms of prior experience (p = 0.674).
However, a notable distinction emerges when examining the various teaching professions (Figure 1). The Kruskal-Wallis-Test reveals no significant differences in the general perception of zoos, neither in the emotional part (p = 0.817, Figure 1A) nor in the area of the zoo’s tasks (p = 0.170, Figure 1B). In contrast, the test shows a statistically significant difference in the perception of the zoo as an extracurricular place of learning (p = 0.046, Figure 1C). The disparities can be observed between primary school teaching and middle school teaching (p = 0.015), as well as between primary school teaching and high school teaching (p = 0.016). Upon closer inspection, the Dunn-Bonferroni test shows that the differences no longer exist when adjusted for significance. In the first case, the p-value is p = 0.087, while in the latter case, it is p = 0.097. A marked discrepancy emerges when considering prior experience with zoos as extracurricular learning places (p = 0.005, Figure 1D). In this respect, the teaching profession differs between high schools and primary schools (p = 0.013), and between high schools and special education schools. In the latter case, the adjusted significance no longer shows any difference (p = 0.051). A modest effect was observed between teaching at primary schools and teaching at secondary schools (r = 0.157).
Figure 1. Boxplots comparing (A) emotional, (B) zoo’s tasks, (C) extracurricular place of learning, and (D) previous experiences by the teaching professions (1 = primary school, 2 = middle school, 3 = high school, 4 = special education). The responses on the 5-point Likert scale are presented on the y-axis. Only significant shifts are marked (*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001). (*) marks a lack of significant difference in adjusted significance.
A substantial difference was identified in the comparison of the five age groups (Figure 2). The Kruskal-Wallis test reveals a statistically significant difference in the perception of the zoo as an extracurricular place of learning (p = 0.004, Figure 2C). Pairwise comparisons indicate significant differences between groups two (25–34 years) and five (55 + years; p = 0.014; r = 0.172). In this case, only a small effect size can be observed. There is also a significant difference between groups two and four (45–54 years, p = 0.006), although the adjusted significance no longer indicates a difference (p = 0.055). Further differences between age groups were identified in relation to previous experiences (p = 0.016, Figure 2D). As with the perception of extracurricular learning locations, significant differences are evident between groups two and four (p = 0.066) and between groups two and five (p = 0.086). However, the adjusted significance shows no difference in either case. In the emotional domain, the Kruskal-Wallis test reveals a difference as well (p = 0.042, Figure 2A). The Dunn-Bonferroni test further shows a statistically significant difference between the youngest and the oldest group (p = 0.006). Yet, the adjusted significance does not indicate any differences (p = 0.057). Moreover, significant differences emerge in the perception regarding the tasks of zoos (p < 0.001, Figure 2B). The group of under 25-year-olds differs significantly from the group of 45 to 54-year-olds (p = 0.004; r = 0.192) and the oldest age group (p = 0.011; r = 0.177). In both cases, the effect size is small. Furthermore, the 25 to 34-year-olds differ significantly from the 45 to 54-year-olds in this domain (p = 0.031). A small effect size can also be seen here (r = 0.161). There is a significant difference between the 25 to 34 age group and the 55 + group (p = 0.005). Nevertheless, the adjusted significance shows no difference (p = 0.054).
Figure 2. Boxplots comparing (A) emotional, (B) zoo’s tasks, (C) extracurricular place of learning and (D) previous experiences by age. The responses on the 5-point Likert scale are presented on the y-axis. Only significant shifts are marked (*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001). (*) marks a lack of significant difference in adjusted significance.
The Spearman correlation across the three subject areas and the one item concludes a connection between all four. In this context, the correlation between the perception of the zoo as an extracurricular learning location and the experiences already had there shows the highest value (p < 0.001; r = 0.672), followed by the correlation between the perception of the tasks of zoos and the emotional attitudes (p < 0.001; r = 0.652). The correlation between the perception of the tasks of zoos and the zoo as an extracurricular learning place was also high (p < 0.001; r = 0.622), as well as the correlation between emotional attitudes and the perception as an extracurricular learning location (p < 0.001; r = 0.602). The comparatively modest effect occurs between the perception of the zoo’s tasks and previous experiences (p < 0.001; r = 0.463), as well as between emotional attitudes and previous experiences (p < 0.001; r = 0.437). In all cases, a significant difference was observed, and the magnitude of the effect was high.
4 Discussion
The results of the study indicate an overall neutral to slightly positive perception of zoological gardens among teachers and prospective teachers. The use of zoos as an extracurricular place of learning is rated positively. This is consistent with the educational orientation of the teaching profession and aligns with previous research showing that education is, alongside entertainment and recreation, commonly perceived as a central function of modern zoos (Villarroya et al., 2024; Ballantyne and Packer, 2016; Clayton et al., 2009). The generally positive evaluation of the zoo as a learning site suggests that teachers recognize its potential for supporting educational goals, particularly in areas related to environmental and conservation education.
Although some studies have identified gender differences in attitudes toward nature, animals, species conservation and connection to nature (Alba et al., 2023; Rosa et al., 2023; Hughes et al., 2019), no gender difference was found in the study conducted. This is consistent with several other studies that also reported no meaningful gender differences in environmental or conservation-related attitudes (Hariohay et al., 2018; McEwen et al., 2015; Kleespies and Dierkes, 2023; Hayes, 2001). In addition, previous research has shown that gender is not a consistent predictor of conservation attitudes (Kleespies et al., 2021), which corresponds to the absence of gender effects in the present study. One possible explanation is that teachers and prospective teachers represent a relatively homogeneous group that might share educational values, which may reduce variability between genders. The fact that a university education is necessary to become a teacher can also contribute to the homogeneity of the group. Studies suggest that students are a more homogeneous group than other groups of adults (Peterson, 2001).
The results of the study indicate some significant differences in the perception of zoological gardens between the various teaching professions. A notable finding is that primary school teachers show a more favorable perception of zoos as extracurricular educational site. This finding corresponds with previous research showing that primary school classes visit zoos more frequently than secondary school classes (Tofield et al., 2003; Dohn, 2013) and that the number of excursions in general decrease with increasing educational level (Jones and Washko, 2022). One contributing factor may be that zoo-based educational programs and teaching materials are predominantly designed for younger age groups, whereas resources tailored to secondary education are less common (Carr and Cohen, 2011). This limited availability of suitable materials for older students may reduce the perceived relevance of zoos for secondary-level teaching. In addition, younger students generally show greater interest in animals and zoos (Kleespies et al., 2020), which may encourage teachers at lower grade levels to integrate zoo visits more frequently into their teaching.
The present study identified explicit age differences in the perception of zoological gardens, with younger demographics exhibiting a more negative perception compared to older age groups. This result is consistent with findings from previous research showing more skeptical attitudes toward zoos and animal keeping among younger generations (Alba et al., 2023; Reade and Waran, 1996). In contrast, older participants in our study expressed a more positive view of the tasks of modern zoos and their value as extracurricular learning places. One explanation could be that older teachers have greater experience of zoos as extracurricular learning venues, possibly due to their greater age and longer professional experience, which may strengthen their familiarity with zoo-based educational resources. The data collected here also suggests, that older teachers tend to use zoos more frequently in their professional practice, which may reinforce their positive perception of zoos as learning environments. Importantly, these age-related differences were not observed for the emotional evaluation of zoos, which was rated similarly across all age groups. This pattern suggests that factual aspects, such as perceptions of zoo functions and educational value, are more strongly influenced by age than emotional attitudes toward animal welfare.
The present study revealed strong correlations between the three assessed domains, emotional perceptions of zoos, the evaluation of zoo tasks, and the assessment of the zoo as an extracurricular learning place. This correlation could be expected. In the traditional view, environmental attitudes are composed of a cognitive, affective, and conative component (Gifford and Sussman, 2012). Since the three components belong to the same underlying construct, a high correlation between them can be assumed. This connection has already been demonstrated in different contexts (Saraçlı et al., 2023; Svenningsson et al., 2022). Although the items used here do not cover the entire construct of attitudes, it can be assumed that the questions contain different aspects of attitudes. Emotional perceptions of zoos reflect affective aspects, the evaluation of zoo tasks corresponds to cognitive aspects, and the assessment of the zoo as an extracurricular learning venue reflects conative aspects related to behavioral intentions. The positive relationship between previous experience with zoos as learning place and the other components shows the positive influence of past experiences.
The generally neutral to slightly positive perceptions of zoos observed in this study, with lower ratings among younger teachers and secondary school teachers, suggests that zoos could benefit from increasing their communication with these groups about their educational and conservation functions. Given that the evaluation of the perception of the tasks of zoos was linked to the emotional attitudes and the perception of zoos as an extracurricular learning place, providing teachers with clearer information about the role of modern zoos could contribute to more positive and informed attitudes. Providing teaching materials and developing programs specifically for high schools could also help teachers in secondary schools develop a more positive attitude toward zoos as places of learning.
Further research is required into the underlying reasons for the survey respondents’ perceptions, to make more accurate statements. For instance, teachers could be invited to discuss their reasons for being reluctant to visit a zoo and what they believe to be essential for zoos to provide in order to be used by teachers. Moreover, it should be noted that there are also many other extracurricular learning venues that are used by schools to varying degrees. Consequently, analogous studies could be conducted in museums or other commercial enterprises.
4.1 Limitations
Despite the care with which the study was conducted, there are some methodological limitations. The group of participants is made up exclusively of people from the Frankfurt (Hesse, Germany) area, which limits the generalizability of the results. Additionally, the majority of respondents were female, which could lead to a distortion of the gender comparison due to an imbalance (Becker, 2017). However, it is important to note that the gender distribution among teachers in the school system is generally more female than male in Germany (Statistisches Bundesamt, 2024). When looking at the different teaching qualifications, the distribution of participants is also uneven. The majority of respondents are from the high school sector, followed by the primary school sector. In addition, there are significantly fewer participants from middle schools and the special education teaching profession. It should also be noted that all student participants in the survey were enrolled in biology teacher education programs. Teachers, on the other hand, were surveyed independently of their subjects. This methodological decision may have led to an overrepresentation of negative attitudes among younger generations, as individuals with a strong interest in biology and nature might hold more critical views of the zoo. Moreover, the perception of the zoo as an extracurricular learning place is contingent upon the subject taught by the teachers. It is hypothesized that the results would have been significantly affected if a survey of biology teachers had been conducted.
Because many studies differentiate between zoo visitors and the general population, there is a lack of research on the frequency of the participants’ visits to the zoo. People who visit the zoo regularly tend to have more positive attitudes toward zoological institutions (Rees, 2023). Furthermore, in the context of using the zoo as an extracurricular place of learning, it would have been advantageous to determine the extent to which participants had previously engaged with the zoo for this purpose. The participants’ propensity to use the zoo as an extracurricular place of learning could be influenced by previous experiences.
Additionally, a statistical issue has been identified. The PCA defined the items relating to the zoo as an extracurricular learning location as a single component. This poses a problem, as the items are based on different psychological domains. As one item addressed previous experiences with the zoo as an extracurricular learning location, which does not necessarily correlate with perceptions of the zoo, this item was removed from the PCA and considered separately. Nevertheless, the inquiry exclusively addressed positive experiences, thus limiting the extent to which the full spectrum of participants’ prior experiences could be considered. This limitation must be taken into account when interpreting the results. A low score in response to this question, and thus an absence of positive experiences among the respondents, may be indicative of their having had no experiences or only negative ones. It is possible that they did not have any opportunities to gain experience. In the absence of knowledge regarding the applicability of either scenario, it would be beneficial for subsequent research to inquire whether such experiences have occurred in general.
5 Conclusion
Overall, the study shows a neutral to slightly positive perception of the zoo among people engaged in the teaching profession. While respondents voice concerns regarding zoos, they nevertheless recognize their significance in educational settings. Consequently, the role of zoos as an extracurricular place of learning is mostly perceived positively. Nevertheless, disparities can be observed between the various groups considered. Gender does not have a significant influence, while the type of teaching profession has only a marginal impact. Among the various teaching qualifications, primary school teachers in particular see the zoo as an extracurricular place of learning. However, it is noteworthy that this is the group with the most access to educational opportunities, such as learning materials. It would therefore be important for zoos to develop and implement more educational programs targeting secondary schools and to promote these programs specifically to educational institutions. The study also identified a difference between the age groups. People from the older generations tend to view zoos more favorably, regarding them as educational institutions, compared to those from younger generations, a discrepancy that might be attributed to their professional experiences and the distinct environments in which they were raised. The study demonstrated that the perception of the zoo’s tasks exerts a more significant influence on the perception of the zoo as an extracurricular place of learning than do emotional attitudes. It is therefore important to provide information regarding the various tasks and functions of zoos in order to encourage teachers to integrate zoos into their lessons. Given the prevalence of misinformation regarding the diverse activities undertaken by zoos, there is a pressing need for comprehensive public education that extends beyond the scope of educators alone. Nevertheless, the study identified a strong connection among all three domains. This underscores the necessity for heightened awareness regarding the multifaceted work carried out by zoos.
Data availability statement
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.
Ethics statement
The study was reviewed by the ethics committee of the science didactic institutes and departments of the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main under approval number 15-WeWiLuHe-2503. Written informed consent to participate in this study was not required from the participants or the participants’ legal guardians/next of kin in accordance with the national legislation and the institutional requirements.
Author contributions
RW: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. PD: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Writing – review & editing. MK: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing.
Funding
The author(s) declared that financial support was received for this work and/or its publication. This study was partly supported by the Opel-Zoo Foundation professorship in zoo biology from the “von Opel Hessische Zoostiftung.”
Acknowledgments
We thank all study participants and the schools for their support.
Conflict of interest
The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Generative AI statement
The author(s) declared that Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript. DeepL was used for language editing.
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Supplementary material
The Supplementary material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1680014/full#supplementary-material
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Keywords: attitudes, conservation education, extracurricular learning, teacher education, zoo education, teacher trainees, role of zoos
Citation: Wolf RL, Dierkes PW and Kleespies MW (2025) Zoos as educational and conservation spaces: perspectives from (future) teachers. Front. Educ. 10:1680014. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1680014
Edited by:
Mayra Urrea-Solano, University of Alicante, SpainReviewed by:
Paul Rose, University of Exeter, United KingdomNatalia Candido Vendrasco, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile
Copyright © 2025 Wolf, Dierkes and Kleespies. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Raya Lyzanne Wolf, ci53b2xmQGVtLnVuaS1mcmFua2Z1cnQuZGU=
†ORCID: Raya Lyzanne Wolf, orcid.org/0009-0006-0063-6051
Paul Wilhelm Dierkes, orcid.org/0000-0002-6046-6406
Matthias Winfried Kleespies, orcid.org/0000-0002-8413-879X