Academic Influence on Student Perceptions of Intersecting Issues: Wild Equine

Abstract

Higher education and learning have a direct influence on how students perceive environmental issues. Currently, little is known about how such influence shapes student perceptions of and attitudes towards protected equine on federally regulated land. This study explores range, wildlife, veterinary, and conservation biology undergraduate and alumni student perceptions of the regulation of protected equine populations through the lenses of disciplinary moral orders and academic culture. The study used a multiple-case design to qualitatively explore the level of influence of higher education and learning on student perceptions of issues pertaining to the federal protection of wild equine. Interviews with range management, wildlife biology, veterinary, and conservation undergraduate and alumni students at a large public research university in the southwestern United States were be conducted. The current study aimed to address the gap between moral order and academic cultures, and how these influences students’ perceptions on intersecting issues within their careers following higher education.