Entomology, Department of
Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects
First Advisor
Erin Bauer
Date of this Version
Summer 2025
Document Type
Project
Citation
ENTO 888, MS project
Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2025
Abstract
Purpose and Summary
The purpose of this project was to examine whether negative attitudes towards insects could be changed in children after learning about them in a safe and enjoyable environment. At the start of this project, I was a science teacher in an urban middle school, where most students were neither fond of nor interested in insects. This experience shaped my project: I wanted to change attitudes from negative to positive, transforming “eww gross, kill it!” into “let it live; it has a job to do.” Through my studies in the entomology program, my belief that insects are highly important and often beneficial to us was further solidified, and this mindset is something I wished to instill in students and children who had learned to feel differently.
Once the project was finalized and ready to be tested with students, two different groups were selected; a small elementary school group in rural west Texas, and a Girl Scout Troop of elementary school-aged girls. Initial mindsets towards insects and final results from the project did not quite turn out as predicted. My original hypothesis was that students with negative attitudes towards insects could be swayed to have a neutral or positive attitude if students learned about and explored insects in a safe and fun environment.
Comments
Copyright 2025, Christina Chapman. Used by permission