Prima¨rerfahrung (PE) describes direct contact with learning objects; in biological education with plants or animals
in particular. Visualising these objects using videos, books, etc, can be classified as Sekunda¨rerfahrung (SE)
because the information is not presented in the ‘original’ way. In this intervention study, a teaching unit was
conducted with living invertebrates (PE treatment, n = 35) and educational videos of these animals displayed
on laptops (SE treatment, n = 29) to ensure identical instructional settings in group work. Affective dimensions
(interests, attitudes, learning climate) and cognitive dimensions (declarative and conceptual knowledge) were
recorded with validated items in pre-, post- and follow-up tests. Compared with the SE treatment, the PE
treatment achieved knowledge at a significantly higher level (d = 0.30) and showed more significant changes in
almost all attitude dimensions. The results are discussed with consideration to general implications for biological
education.

• ‘Prima¨ rerfahrung’ with living animals in contrast to educational videos: a comparative intervention study

Share :