Abstract (eng)
The conc ept of loss of biodiversity is currently widely known and its understanding is no longer limited to natural sciences. The decline in animal populations, especially within insect caused by both the changing climate and other anthropogenic factors has far-reaching consequences for the world´s flora and fauna but also for humans´ everyday life. That being said, it is crucial to (further) strengthen new and reinforce already existing environmental awareness by the means of adequate environmental education. More precisely, education for sustainable development is necessary to positively affect people´s awareness not only medium-term but, more importantly, long-term as well. In the course of this master´s thesis learning materials, which focus on wild bees (or solitary bees), are designed and optimized by taking the scientific approach of design-based research into account. A teaching unit designed for lower secondary students (n = 23; nfemale = 10; nmale = 13; AHS) set at the Bee.Ed area in Vienna allows for the materials to be tested and evaluated and for data to be collected by using both an intrinsic motivation scale and another scale named “willingness to behave in a way to protect bees” (Bereitschaft zum bienenschützenden Verhalten). Additionally, feedback was received through three different means: open feedback concerning the respective workshop stations, peer- and lecturer feedback, as well as a personal reflection concerning the lesson setting. On the one hand the results clearly show that the participating students experienced both interest and motivation. On the other hand, a variation concerning the willingness to behave in a way to protect bees becomes obvious. Future research is adviced to look more closely at this very aspect.