The Wadden Sea as a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site: Students’ Word Associations with These Two Conservation Designations

A study reveals that students, regardless of their proximity to the Wadden Sea—a UNESCO World Heritage Site and German national park—often associate these conservation designations with non-subject-related terms. While some connections to the region were noted, immediate residential proximity did not guarantee knowledge of the protection terms. The research analyzed 8,345 word associations from students living near the Wadden Sea and those from inland areas using quantitative content analysis, highlighting a statistically significant difference between the two groups.

Schmäing, T., & Grotjohann, N. (2021). The Wadden Sea as a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site: Students’ Word Associations with These Two Conservation Designations. Sustainability, 13(14), 8006. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13148006