Kathayoon Khalil

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Manager at Oregon Zoo

To better understand visitors to zoos and aquariums, many facilities repeatedly ask similar questions in evaluations and audience research projects. While not inherently problematic, this can deplete already scarce resources including time and funding. In this chapter, we address the field’s most frequently asked questions about visitors, including...

The role that the social sciences play in conservation has been strengthened and codified over the past 20 years by many important contributions. This includes the influences of Dr. Carol D. Saunders who coined the term “Conservation Psychology” in a 2003 special issue of Human Ecology to identify a more efficient way for those with psychological e...

Conservation first appeared as a role for zoos and aquariums in the late 20th century, and over the past few decades has evolved to be central to the mission of modern, accredited zoos and aquariums (henceforth zoos). More recently, promoting proenvironmental behavior is increasingly recognized as an essential means for zoos to achieve their shared...

Conservation behaviour change is complex, with many internal and external motivations and barriers. Increasing knowledge about ocean animals and ecosystems is important, but not enough to incite meaningful conservation action. Empathy is an important internal driver of human behaviour and may be an important indicator of an individual’s willingness...

Empathy is often studied as it relates to humans. However, there is a increasing interest in its relationship, development and impact with non‐human animals. This interest is often driven by a curiosity in empathy's role as an internal motivator for pro‐environmental behavior change. As with many internal affective responses, the link is not always...

We investigate the relationship between characteristics of a professional network and members’ evaluation-related learning, applying the “communities of practice” framework to understand social dynamics and information flows. We focus on members of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA)’s Conservation Education Committee. These professionals co...

Increasingly, informal science and environmental education institutions are addressing conservation messaging and environmental behavior in programming, exhibits, and interpretation. Yet, little is known about what pro-environmental behaviors visitors are currently undertaking, what characteristics those environmental behaviors may have in common,...

Evaluation of educational programs in zoos and aquariums is a growing area of interest for researchers and professionals. In this review, the authors examine the literature that focuses on these settings. They then discuss evaluations that have been conducted in institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in relation to knowled...