Use of a mobile plant identification application and the out-of-school learning method in biodiversity education

Today, many students are no longer able to identify plants and researchers use the term "plant blindness" to describe students' ignorance of plant species. Knowledge of plant species is among the factors that best support an interest in and understanding of environmental issues, biodiversity, and a sustainable lifestyle. With the help of mobile technologies, it is thought that the knowledge level of students about herb and tree varieties can be increased outside of class hours and in outdoor education. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the use of the PlantNet mobile application and the out-of-school learning method on the knowledge levels of 5th-grade students about the plant species in their environment and their behaviors demonstrating an understanding of biodiversity. For this purpose, at the beginning of the study, a plant species questionnaire and a biodiversity behavior questionnaire were applied to the students. Afterward, the students were asked to examine the plant species around them using the PlantNet mobile application. At the end of the activities, the data collection tools applied at the beginning of the study were applied again. It was determined that the students who participated in the activities displayed more biodiversity-related behaviors than before they participated in the activities, and that the students were able to write down more herb and tree species at the end of the activities. In addition, as a result of the activities, a positive and high-level relationship was found between the students' biodiversity-related behaviors and the total number of plant species they knew.