Middle School Students' Misconceptions and Attitudes Toward Climate Change

Date

2024-11-27

Author

Gürbüz, Elif

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This research aimed to investigate 8th grade middle school students’ misconceptions and attitudes toward climate change. Their misconceptions about climate change with respect to science achievement, genders, and career choices were also investigated. The sample consisted of 320 8th grade middle school students. Three instruments were used to collect data, which are the Demographic Information Form, the Climate Change Attitude and Belief Scale, and the 3-Tier Misconception Test about Climate Change Concepts. Descriptive Statistics Analysis revealed that students had misconceptions about the greenhouse effect, global warming, and ozone layer depletion concepts. In terms of attitude, it was found that students generally had positive attitude toward climate change concepts. Also, the analysis revealed a very weak positive correlation between misconception scores and attitudes, and a weak negative correlation between correct response scores and attitudes. According to correlational analysis, there was a weak positive correlation between science achievement, misconception scores, and correct response scores. MANOVA analysis revealed that there was no statistically significant difference between gender and career choices regarding misconception scores and correct response scores. To address misconceptions about climate change, schools should integrate explicit instruction on key concepts, employ active learning strategies like concept mapping, and use experiential activities such as simulations and experiments. Teachers should be trained in conceptual change models and provided with up-to-date resources to correct misconceptions. Demographic influences, persistent misconceptions, and the broader factors impacting science achievement may be investigated in future research.

Subject Keywords

Misconceptions, Climate Change, Attitude, Gender, Science Achievement, Career Choice

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/114210

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis