The role of the family in shaping attitudes in favour of nature

Abstract

The role of the family in shaping the attitudes in favour of nature is connected with the problems of the family as a basic social group, its functions in creating children’s personalities, children’s position in the social group, positive and negative parental attitudes, types of parental attitudes as well as developing children’s and young people’s interests at different educational levels. In order to show the role of the family in shaping the attitudes in favour of nature, an investigation was conducted among parents of pupils and students from primary, lower secondary (gimnazjum) and upper secondary schools. The results of the conducted investigations support the view that parents often shape their children’s appropriate attitudes in favour of nature by introducing proper principles connected with the environment protection as well as by participating in various events. Taking care of animals and plants influences the development of children’s awareness of nature to a large extent. However, parents seldom buy nature books and magazines in order to make children interested in the discussed matters. The content-related knowledge is too low to allow the parents to talk to children about animals and plant species.