What Do We Know About Children’s and Adolescents’ Formal and Non-Formal Learning in the Zoo? A Systematic Literature Review

Zoos and aquariums are important learning environments for formal, non-formal and informal learning. A systematic theoretical basis for adult visitors' learning at zoos and aquariums already exists. In total, there have been six literature reviews of this topic. However, to date, no literature review has been published concerning children's and adolescents' learning in zoos and aquariums. The systematic literature review presented in this article fills this gap and summarises the published results on formal and non-formal learning by children and adolescents in zoos and aquariums. A literature search in the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) and Web of Science databases yielded 858 peer-reviewed articles. Fifty-one of these met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were analysed more deeply. Each step of the literature search was verified by a human interrater. The analysis of the studies included in the review followed the steps of qualitative content analysis. The coding of the studies was done by two raters to ensure objectivity and reliability. For these, a human rater and an artificial intelligence system analysed the studies. The results indicate differences in research focus in different countries and that zoos and aquariums are productive learning environments for various types of visiting (e.g., learning trips, family outings) with a variety of identified learning methods and elements (e.g., touch tanks, keeper talks, guided tours, camps) that have different positive effects on knowledge, attitudes, behaviour and other variables. However, the results also identify starting points for new research and research gaps in this area.