Trading card games and Environmental Education

Abstract

The relationship established between popular media and elasmobranchs, especially sharks, is barely sympathetic and generally includes a common-sense idea of terrible ocean creatures that are a threat to human life. Elasmobranchs are threatened, and the preservation of these animals has been a matter of concern to conservationists worldwide. This study was dedicated to developing, applying, and testing a teaching activity using Trading Card Game cards (Magic: The Gathering, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!) in school and university students, aiming to investigate how pop culture can promote students’ affection and awareness about sharks and rays and their conservation. The results suggest that using popular culture to develop teaching practices is an effective strategy for raising awareness about elasmobranchs and conservation issues.

Keywords

• Chondrichthyes
• Endangered species
• Ichthyology
• Pop culture
• Science teaching