Abstract
Undergraduate students in a learning laboratory course initially chose a species to study; researched that species' physical and behavioral characteristics; then learned skills necessary to select, operationalize, observe, and record animal behavior accurately. After their classroom preparation, students went to a local zoo to observe the behavior of the animal they chose in both normal (nonenriched) and enriched environments and developed animal data cards for zookeepers to use in educational programs. Results showed that after participating in the zoo laboratory, students reported significant attitude changes, including more positive attitudes toward studying animals and increased confidence in their observational abilities. The laboratory provides a foundation for more extensive animal research and internship projects.
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