Abstract
In France, biodiversity in primary school is linked to both the scientific topics and sustainable development. Analyzing France’s official primary school program shows that the expected learnings in this field are primarily cognitive and behavioral. In ministerial guidelines, the affective dimension is minimized, in order to highlight scientific objectivity. However, numerous studies show the significance of affective dimension in learning, especially interacting with the cognitive dimension. This paper is part of a research about these two dimensions of biodiversity education learnings in primary school. It relies on the study of arthropods, especially insects. The framework is built on the analysis of scientific and commun sense knowledges, as well as the identification of emotions using a model of emotional maturity. The methodology is based on a quantitative multivariate analysis of survey responses. The experimental protocol has been made from a sample of 285 students aged 8 to 12. They were divided into three groups according to the level of involvement in learnings received about the study of arthropods. Significant differences appear between each group of students, although some correlations between knowledge and emotional maturity have been identified. Specific profiles of learners linking knowledge and emotional dimension have been highlighted in this research.