Who's learning at the zoo? Mapping school participation at Zoo Negara Malaysia across educational levels

Sharifah Nur Amalina Syed Salleh, Linda Salim and Junaidi Omar
Zoo Negara Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

This study explores the participation of schools across various educational levels in Zoo Negara's educational programs, focusing on preschool, primary, secondary, homeschool, and university students in 2023 and 2024. Zoo Negara offers a range of biodiversity and wildlife conservation programs to encourage pro-environmental behaviours. Our study aimed to addresses a gap in understanding how different school categories engage with these programs, assessing participation rates and identifying which types of programs appeal most to each group. The study also compares participation between public and private schools to understand disparities in access to Zoo Negara's educational offerings. Data were collected from Zoo Negara's Cikgu Kancil package, including Kancil Ranger, Zoo Explorer, Animazing World, Wildlife Enrichment, Zoo Camp, and I Am a Zookeeper, over a two-year period. The study categorised schools by educational level and type, allowing for an in-depth analysis of participation trends. Statistical analyses, including the Kruskal-Wallis and post-hoc Dunn's tests, as well as Pearson's chi-square test for independence were carried out and the findings show that younger students, particularly from preschool and primary schools, were the most engaged, while older students, especially from secondary schools and universities, showed less participation rates. Private schools were also more likely to participate in the programs than public schools, possibly due to financial flexibility and fewer curriculum constraints. These results provide important insights that can help inform Zoo Negara of future outreach strategies and program design to ensure broader engagement and foster stronger connections to wildlife conservation across all education levels.
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Authors: Dr Sharifah Nur Amalina Syed Salleh holds a PhD in Environmental Studies (Bioresource and Technology) from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). She is currently serving as a Research Officer at Zoo Negara Malaysia, where she focuses on biodiversity conservation and environmental education, contributing to various wildlife and conservation initiatives. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2906-3833 Email: amalinasalleh95@gmail.com Dr Linda Salim (corresponding author) is the Director of Public Relations, Marketing, Education, and Customer Service at Zoo Negara Malaysia. With a PhD in Management, she leads strategic initiatives to enhance the zoo's outreach, focusing on public engagement, education, and customer experience, while advancing Zoo Negara's conservation mission. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7815-1691 Email: linda.salim@zoonegaramalaysia.my Mr Junaidi Omar is the Head of the Department of Education, Zoo Negara Malaysia, Jalan Taman Zooview, Taman Zooview 68000 Ampang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. He is dedicated to enhancing the department's educational programs, striving to provide engaging and impactful learning experiences for all visitors. His leadership focuses on fostering a deeper connection between the public and wildlife conservation efforts. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9266-7980 Email: junaidi@zoonegaramalaysia.my Please cite as: Salleh, S. N. A., Salim, L. & Omar, J. (2025). Who's learning at the zoo? Mapping school participation at Zoo Negara Malaysia across educational levels. Issues in Educational Research, 35(3), 1137-1153. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/salleh.pdf