| FLOYD HAYES |
| Hayes, F. E. 2000. Impact of an undergraduate course in ornithology on the attitudes of West Indian students toward birds. Pitirre 13:52-56. Abstract.--On six occasions from 1994-2000, I taught an undergraduate course in ornithology to 144 students (mostly West Indian nationals) at Caribbean Union College in Trinidad. During the last two courses I used a questionnaire to assess the attitudes of 34 students toward birds, both at the beginning and end of the course. Students were most interested in learning about the ecology and behavior of birds, and least interested in learning about their origin and evolution. Their interest in watching and learning about birds and their interest in studying birds as a hobby increased, though not significantly. Few students expressed an interest in studying birds for a career, though three have studied birds for a master's degree. Academic achievement in the course was significantly correlated with the overall attitude toward birds at the end of the course. Resumen.--En seis ocasiones desde 1994-2000, he dado cursos de oritolog�a a 144 estudiantes (la mayor�a caribe�os) en el Caribbean Union College de Trinidad. Durante los �ltimos dos cursos yo utilic� un cuestionario para determinar el inter�s de 34 estudiantes hacia las aves, tanto al principio como al final del curso. Los estudiantes estuvieron m�s interesados en aprender sobre la ecolog�a y el comportamiento de las aves, y menos interesados en conocer sobre su origen y evoluci�n. Su inter�s en observar y aprender sobre las aves y su inter�s en estudiar las aves como pasatiempo se increment�, pero no significativamente. Pocos estudiantes expresaron inter�s en estudiar aves como carrera, pero tres ya estudiaban aves para un obtener una maestr�a. El �xito acad�mico en el curso estuvo relacionado con el inter�s general hacia las aves al final del curso. Key words-- attitude, education, ornithology, undergraduate course |
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