Narrative Approach to Zoo Environmental Education Program

- A Practical Case at ZOORASIA “Tell Us a Story - You and the Chimp”

Abstract

  In this study, we designed a zoo environmental education program to encourage individuals to actively think about wildlife conservation in connection to their own life and to propose diverse conservation actions. We designed the program using narrative theory based on a learner-centered approach. We set up a rubric using the views of sustainable development goals. We implemented a practical case, “Tell Us a Story - You and the Chimp” at ZOORASIA, for general visitors. First, a zookeeper shared information with the participants about the chimpanzee’s life in the wild and the opinions of people who live near the forest. The participants were then asked to create their own story about the “Chimpanzee and I” and to express it in picture-book form. We evaluated participants’ learning through semi-structured interviews, the picture-book stories and a post-program questionnaire. Over 80% of the participants expressed that they found their living to be connected with the chimpanzee’s habitat. Moreover, they suggested various actions or ideas to protect the chimpanzee. The results confirm the efficacy of adopting the narrative approach and rubric in zoo environmental education programs.