Just Hanging Around: A Pilot Study Investigating Children’s Knowledge of Grey-Headed Flying-Foxes and the Feasibility and Impact of a Peer-Designed Educational Intervention

Abstract Grey-headed flying-foxes, frequently-spotted residents of the greater Sydney region, Australia, play a key role in native ecosystems. Knowledge of local wildlife may increase interest in conserving and protecting wildlife. We assessed baseline knowledge in a year 3 class regarding common features and habits of grey-headed flying-foxes, and feasibility and impact of a classmate-peer-developed educational intervention. Pre- and post-intervention paper questionnaires were administered to a single class in a single school. The focussed educational intervention comprised an interactive presentation with slide-show, developed by a classmate-peer with stakeholder consultation. Simple descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were applied. The same 29 students participated in both pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. The intervention proved feasible in a classroom setting. The pre-intervention survey indicated suboptimal knowledge regarding grey-headed flying-foxes in relation to categorisation, appearance, habitat, activity, diet and travel patterns. Post-intervention knowledge had generally improved. This pilot study indicated that a simple peer-developed educational intervention was feasible and improved knowledge gaps, at least in the short term. Future research might assess the potential for initiatives like this to improve young people’s knowledge at a wider level, and explore the relationship between improvements in knowledge and efforts to conserve vulnerable species such as the grey-headed flying-fox.