2015 BMR Syndicate Research Report 455

Benchmarking AVI-tourism literacy rates among secondary school learners of Gauteng – a pilot study by N. Conradie and D.H. Tustin (2015)

This report has an educational focus and presents the findings from a pilot study to provide an indication of the current state of avi-tourism literacy of secondary school learners, aged 13 to 16 years old.  The intention with this research was to benchmark avi-tourism literacy rates among secondary school learners with the intention to improve the future awareness, attitudes, values and pro-environmental behaviour of young South Africans towards birds, the natural habitat of birds and avi-tourism. The presented findings are valuable in the consideration for the need for intervention education programmes aimed to instil environmental awareness focused on birds at secondary schools, and to raise the awareness and interest levels among teachers and school learners in acquiring literacy about birds and their role in maintaining biodiversity.