A Three-Tier Diagnostic Test to Assess Pre-Service Teachers' Misconceptions about Global Warming, Greenhouse Effect, Ozone Layer Depletion, and Acid Rain

2012-01-01
Arslan, Harika Ozge
Cigdemoglu, Ceyhan
Moseley, Christine
This study describes the development and validation of a three-tier multiple-choice diagnostic test, the atmosphere-related environmental problems diagnostic test (AREPDiT), to reveal common misconceptions of global warming (GW), greenhouse effect (GE), ozone layer depletion (OLD), and acid rain (AR). The development of a two-tier diagnostic test procedure as described by Treagust constitutes the framework for this study. To differentiate a lack of knowledge from a misconception, a certainty response index is added as a third tier to each item. Based on propositional knowledge statements, related literature, and the identified misconceptions gathered initially from 157 pre-service teachers, the AREPDiT was constructed and administered to 256 pre-service teachers. The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of the pre-service teachers' scores was estimated to be 0.74. Content and face validations were established by senior experts. A moderate positive correlation between the participants' both-tiers scores and their certainty scores indicated evidence for construct validity. Therefore, the AREPDiT is a reliable and valid instrument not only to identify pre-service teachers' misconceptions about GW, GE, OLD, and AR but also to differentiate these misconceptions from lack of knowledge. The results also reveal that a majority of the respondents demonstrated limited understandings about atmosphere-related environmental problems and held six common misconceptions. Future studies could test the AREPDiT as a tool for assessing the misconceptions held by pre-service teachers from different programs as well as in-service teachers and high school students.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

Suggestions

AN INVESTIGATION ON THE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE ABOUT AIR POLLUTION ISSUES
Yılmaz Tüzün, Özgül; Teksöz, Gaye (2008-01-01)
The aim of this study was to determine the elementary teachers' knowledge about air pollution. Ozone depletion, global warming, acid rain, and renewable energy were also addressed in this study to get holistic picture about air pollution. A total-of 183 teachers from the 91 schools in Ankara participated to the study. The data obtained were analyzed by means of both quantitative statistical and document analyses techniques. Results revealed that majority of the teachers have an idea about the basic air poll...
A survey on Turkish elementary school students' environmental friendly behaviours and associated variables
Alp, Elvan; Ertepınar, Hamide; Tekkaya, Ceren; YILMAZ, AYHAN (Informa UK Limited, 2008-01-01)
This study investigated elementary school students' environmental knowledge and attitudes, the effects of sociodemographic variables on environmental knowledge and attitudes, and how self-reported environmentally friendly behaviour is related to environmental knowledge, behavioural intentions, environmental affects, and the students' locus of control. Data were gathered by administration of the Children's Environmental Attitudes and Knowledge Scale and Locus of Control scale to 1140 students from 18 randoml...
AN INTEGRATED MODELING APPROACH FOR ASSESSING THE IMPACTS OF A NATURAL GAS-FIRED POWER-PLANT ON SOIL ACIDIFICATION
KILIC, B; KAYIN, S; MUKHALLALATI, L; SOYUPAK, S; ONDER, K; YURTERI, C (1994-11-01)
Environmental impacts of a proposed natural gas-fired power plant was assessed by coupling an atmospheric deposition model with a soil acidification model. Long-term and short-term impacts of atmospheric dispersion and deposition of pollutants, especially NO(x), on the quality of air were estimated within the local scale using a short term dispersion model. The long-term soil response to acid deposition was simulated by a model which predicts the number of years required to reach critical soil pH values.
A new vision for chemistry education students: Environmental education
Şahin, Elvan; Teksöz, Gaye (2010-01-01)
The present study aimed to determine level of pre-service chemistry teachers' environmental literacy and their perceptions on environmental education. This study was realized during the fall semester of 2006-2007 academic year with the participation of 60 students enrolled in five-year chemistry teacher education program. The data collected by administration of Environmental Literacy Test and Environmental Education Perception Survey were analyzed by descriptive statistics and content analysis. The pre-serv...
The causal effect of carbon dioxide emissions, electricity consumption, economic growth, and industrialization in Sierra Leone
Asumadu-Sarkodie, Samuel; Owusu, Phebe Asantewaa (Informa UK Limited, 2017-01-01)
The study investigated the causal effect of carbon dioxide emissions, electricity consumption, economic growth, and industrialization in Sierra Leone from 1980-2011 by employing the linear regression and the vector error correction models. Evidence from both models show a long-run equilibrium relationship between carbon dioxide emissions, electricity consumption, economic growth, and industrialization in Sierra Leone. Evidence from the variance decomposition shows that 7% of future shock in carbon dioxide e...
Citation Formats
H. O. Arslan, C. Cigdemoglu, and C. Moseley, “A Three-Tier Diagnostic Test to Assess Pre-Service Teachers’ Misconceptions about Global Warming, Greenhouse Effect, Ozone Layer Depletion, and Acid Rain,” INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION, pp. 1667–1686, 2012, Accessed: 00, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/66268.