Can Taylor Swift teach botany? Music videos boost meaningful learning and help combat "plant blindness"
In a student-centered teaching project, undergraduates analyzed botanical elements in Taylor Swift music videos to activate prior knowledge and reinforce complex plant science concepts.
The experience reports improved comprehension, high student satisfaction, and potential to counter "plant blindness" through popular culture.
Dark forests, lush riverbanks, moss-covered pianos, and dreamlike African savannas are part of Taylor Swift's visual storytelling. The pop megastar's music videos have amassed millions of views online and have become major cultural events upon release. According to a pilot learning programme developed at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH), they can also serve as powerful educational tools. An innovation project has demonstrated that some of Taylor Swift's music videos can reinforce meaningful learning in botany among Environmental Sciences students.
The initiative was implemented during the 2024–2025 academic year in the course "Restoration of Vegetation Cover" at the Faculty of Experimental Sciences, UMH. Led by Botany professor Joaquín Moreno Compañ, the project integrates music videos from popular culture into a student-centered learning approach designed to consolidate complex botanical knowledge over time.
The results have been published in the Spanish-language volume The Emerging University: Toward Transformative and Innovative Education (Octaedro, 2025).
Activating prior knowledge to foster meaningful learning
The methodology is based on the concept of meaningful learning, which builds on students' prior knowledge to facilitate the integration of new concepts. In this case, students had already taken introductory Botany during their first year, providing a conceptual base that needed to be reactivated for more advanced topics.
Each session followed a structured sequence. Students first completed a short diagnostic questionnaire linked to a selected music video. After watching the video, the theoretical content was presented and discussed. Finally, concepts were assessed again. At the end of the full module, a comprehensive evaluation measured the overall effectiveness of the approach.
"Cardigan": fictional Bryophytes and early land plants
In the music video for "Cardigan" (2020), a grand piano is colonized by lush vegetation. Mosses form green carpets over rocks and wood. These bryophytes absorb water across their entire surface and therefore thrive in shaded, humid environments. Ferns—vascular pteridophytes capable of internal water transport—also appear, although their reproduction still requires free water. "Although the scene is fictional, its plant composition resembles ecosystems characterized by constant moisture and low irradiance," explains Professor Moreno.
"Out of the Woods" and into gymnosperm forests
The video for "Out of the Woods" (2015) presents conifer-dominated landscapes. "Forests of seed plants without flowers, such as pines and other conifers, dominated the planet for millions of years before flowering plants diversified," explains the UMH professor. Gymnosperms produce naked seeds not enclosed in fruits. Their needle-like leaves reduce water loss, and their woody tissues allow them to reach considerable height—adaptations suited to colder or seasonal climates.
"Willow": a tale of riparian ecosystems
The story told in "Willow" (2020) begins with the singer emerging from the trunk of a willow tree. Willows are angiosperms—flowering plants whose seeds are protected within fruits, an evolutionary innovation that contributed to their diversification. As riparian species, they develop extensive, flexible root systems that stabilize soil and tolerate periodic flooding. "The surrounding vegetation is adapted to periodic floods, unstable soils and high water availability," the expert notes, "which creates ecosystems in constant transformation."
"Wildest Dreams": silver-screened biome adaptations
In "Wildest Dreams" (2015), Swift portrays a 1950s Hollywood actress during the fictional filming of a movie set in Africa, where landscapes resembling savannas appear. These ecosystems are dominated by perennial grasses and scattered trees such as acacias, adapted to marked seasonality. "The golden, dry-looking grass that characterizes these landscapes is not dead vegetation but a physiological strategy," the UMH professor explains. During dry seasons, many grasses reduce photosynthetic activity, lose chlorophyll and expose yellow pigments, while narrow leaves and hardened tissues minimize water loss. Savannas are also shaped by recurrent fires, which form part of their ecological cycle.
Measurable improvement in learning
After completing the sessions, students were able to correctly identify bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms, recognize plant adaptations, types of fruits and inflorescences, riparian vegetation, and major biomes from landscape imagery.
Across all content blocks, the average percentage of correct answers increased from the beginning to the end of the sessions, indicating clearer understanding and better concept consolidation.
Student satisfaction and engagement
Student perception was highly positive. More than 86% reported being satisfied or very satisfied with the use of music videos as knowledge activators, and 90.91% considered the methodology useful for learning and assimilating new concepts. Additionally, 95.45% recognized it as effective in identifying knowledge gaps. The teaching team also observed improved attendance and greater class participation.
"Music videos combine images, narrative, and emotion. They may seem like mere entertainment, but when used strategically, they become a powerful educational tool," explains Moreno. He emphasizes that this approach complements—rather than replaces—scientific literature, fieldwork, and laboratory practice. "It does not replace scientific rigor, but it helps activate prior knowledge and strengthens long-term understanding," the professor adds.
Addressing plant blindness through popular culture
Beyond academic performance, the project addresses a broader social issue: "plant blindness," a term that describes the widespread difficulty of noticing, recognizing, and valuing plants in everyday life. By incorporating elements of popular culture into scientific education, the initiative seeks to make the plant world more visible and emotionally meaningful.
Connecting rigorous science communication with culturally relevant references may help students—and society at large—appreciate the diversity and ecological importance of plants that sustain the ecosystems we depend on.
More information:
Moreno Compañ, J. (2025). Aprendiendo botánica con Taylor Swift: Evaluación del uso de vídeos musicales como activadores de conocimiento. In M. L. Rico Gómez, J. A. Plasencia-Soler, & C. N. Barrionuevo Torres (Coords.), La universidad emergente: Hacia una educación transformadora e innovadora (pp. 247–260). Octaedro. octaedro.com/libro/la-universidad-emergente/
Provided by Miguel Hernandez University of Elche
