21、How can media called “KAMISHIBAI” be utilized in zoo education?

 

Hideto OKUYAMA

Asahikawa, ASAHIYAMA Zoological Park

collaborator:Junko TAJIMA　, Chiharu TANAKA,　 Akiko HORITA, 　Gen BANDO,
（Asahikawa, ASAHIYAMA Zoological Park）
Chika YAMAHASHI　, Etsuji YAMAGUCHI　, Shigenori INAGAKI （Kobe University ）

 

KAMISHIBAI (picture-story show) is one form of unique Japanese cultural entertainment, in which a performer tells a story to an audience while s/he shows some sheets of paintings in a wooden frame. KAMISHIBAI first appeared as a form of entertainment for children in the 1930’s. Nowadays, its educational effects are highly regarded as a form of interactive communication media that cuts across a wide range of ages.
ASAHIYAMA Zoo assumes that these effects can also be utilized in zoos and conducts educational programs using KAMISHIBAI. The KAMISHIBAI presentations that we use are based on the zoo’s animals and are created by the zoo staff members. There are two types of programs: a simple program which is only a performance of the KAMISHIBAI and a workshop program which includes the activity of animal observation.
In this study, we considered whether or not KAMISHIBAI could also be utilized in zoo education. The title of the KAMISHIBAI is “The Secrets of Penguins”. We collected questionnaire data from participants in the simple program, and video data of natural family interactions during the workshop program. As a result, the participants evaluated the KAMISHIBAI highly because they could more thoroughly enjoy learning about penguins. Furthermore, it was found that participants tended to observe the penguins in more detail and for a longer period of time. Therefore, this suggests that KAMISHIBAI can also be utilized in zoos.