Using local biodiversity recognition and understanding activities in the 10th grade biology ecosystem ecology and current environmental issues unit

This study aims to investigate the impact of activities designed with an activity-based learning approach on students' academic achievement and biodiversity literacy within the scope of the "Natural Resources and Biodiversity Conservation" topic in the "Ecosystem Ecology and Current Environmental Issues" unit at the 10th-grade level. A quasi-experimental research model, one of the quantitative research methods utilizing pre-test and post-test data collection tools, was used to analyze the effect of activities designed with an activity-based learning approach on students' academic achievement and biodiversity literacy. The study was conducted during the 2022-2023 academic year with 10th-grade students at Mardin-Kızıltepe Ali Rıza Alparslan Anatolian High School. In the study, 42 students from class 10/A were randomly assigned as the experimental group, while 43 students from class 10/B were selected as the control group. In the experimental group (10/B), activities based on the activity-based learning approach were implemented, whereas in the control group (10/A), lessons were taught using the traditional teaching method prescribed by the existing curriculum. The activities were carried out in the "Natural Resources and Biodiversity Conservation" section of the "Ecosystem Ecology and Current Environmental Issues" unit, which is the third topic in the biodiversity education outcomes of the 2018 biology curriculum for 10th grade, and the implementation lasted for three weeks. As a data collection tool, the "Biodiversity Literacy Assessment Scale," developed by the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education with the support of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 1996 and adapted into Turkish by Aslan Efe & Efe in 2022, was used. Apart from demographic variables, the scale consists of the Biodiversity Literacy Scale and the Local Biodiversity Awareness Form. The pre-test and post-test data obtained in the study were analyzed using the analyses available in the SPSS.29 statistical software package. According to the data obtained from the Local Biodiversity Awareness Form and the Biodiversity Literacy Scale applied at the end of the study, the experimental and control groups exhibited similar results at the beginning of the process. However, after the implementation of the activities, a significant difference was observed in favor of the experimental group regarding local biodiversity awareness. When biodiversity literacy was compared, no significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups. The findings of this study indicate that activity-based learning plays an important role in students' processes of recognizing and understanding local biodiversity. The activities implemented have made positive contributions to students' academic achievement in biodiversity-related subjects and their biodiversity literacy. Additionally, studies conducted within the context of local biodiversity suggest that future educational programs should be enriched with activities focusing on local biodiversity to cultivate environmentally conscious individuals. Keywords: Local biodiversity, Biology education, Biodiversity literacy, Activity-based learning