Daniel P. Shepardson

Undergraduate students have different attitudes toward the geosciences, but few studies have investigated these attitudes using Q methodology. Q methodology allows the researcher to identify more detailed reasons for students’ attitudes toward geology than Likert methodology. Thus this study used Q methodology to investigate the attitudes that 15 undergraduate students had toward the geosciences. Three different groups of undergraduates were sampled: geoscience majors, science majors, and nonscience majors. Three distinct perspectives emerged from the analysis: (1) knowledge‐based outlook, (2) class isolated knowledge, and (3) specific geoscientific interests. Even though all students see value and importance in learning geoscience concepts, several students suggested that a better connection of the geosciences to their everyday lives would improve their attitude toward geology.

Although many environmental and science educators have explored students’ conceptual understandings, misconceptions, and knowledge of the greenhouse effect, global warming, and climate change, few have investigated the ways students conceptualize climate as a system or how components of the system influence climate. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to begin the process of understanding how US students conceptualize a climate system. A total of 42 seventh grade students (ages 12–13) from the Midwest completed an open-response task. From the inductive analysis of student written responses, 22 codes emerged that reflected students’ conceptions of the climate system. From these codes, three path diagrams were constructed that illustrate these students’ conceptions about how a climate system influences climate and how greenhouse gases and global warming impact the climate system. A generalized model of students’ conception of a climate system was generated. Students in this study conceptualized a climate system in a unidirectional, linear, cause and effect relationship that emphasized the atmospheric component of the climate system.

Today there is much interest in teaching secondary students about climate change. Much of this effort has focused directly on students’ understanding of climate change. We hypothesize, however, that in order for students to understand climate change they must first understand climate as a system and how changes to this system due to both natural and human influences result in climatic and environmental changes and feedbacks. The purpose of this article is to articulate a climate system framework for teaching about climate change and to stimulate discussion about what secondary students should know and understand about a climate system. We first provide an overview of the research on secondary students’ conceptions of climate and climate change. We then present a climate system framework for teaching about climate and climate change that builds on students’ conceptions and scientific perspectives. We conclude by articulating a draft conceptual progression based on students’ conceptions and our climate system framework as a means to inform curriculum development, instructional design, and future research in climate and environmental education.

This constructivist study investigates 225 student drawings and explanations from three different schools in the midwest in the US, to identify seventh grade students' mental models of the greenhouse effect. Five distinct mental models were derived from an inductive analysis of the content of the students' drawings and explanations: Model 1, a ‘greenhouse’ for growing plants; Model 2, greenhouse gases cause ozone depletion or formation, causing the Earth to warm; Model 3, greenhouse gases, but no heating mechanism, simply gases in the atmosphere; Model 4, greenhouse gases ‘trap’ the sun's rays, heating the Earth; and Model 5, the sun's rays are ‘bounced’ or reflected back and forth between the Earth's surface and greenhouse gases, heating the Earth. Science textbooks are critiqued in light of the students' mental models and curricular and instructional implications are explored.

The purpose of this study was to investigate seventh grade students' conceptions of global warming and climate change. The study was descriptive in nature and involved the collection of qualitative data from 91 seventh grade students from three different schools in the Midwest, USA. An open response and draw and explain assessment instrument was administered to students. These data were analyzed for content in an inductive manner to identify students' concepts. The categories that emerged from the students' responses reflected different degrees of sophistication or conceptualization about global warming and climate change. The students' conceptions of global warming and climate change in this study were similar to previous studies in that they lacked a rich conceptualization of the issue, especially as it pertains to the greenhouse effect and its connection to global warming. At the same time, this study expanded on previous studies by further elucidating students' conceptions of the impact of global warming on the Earth's oceans, weather, and plants and animals. Here too, students lacked a rich conceptualization. Based on these findings we make curricular recommendations that build on the students' conceptions and the NRC ( 1996 National Research Council. 1996. National science education standards, Washington, DC: National Academy Press. [Google Scholar] ) science education standards.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate students’ conceptions of the hydrologic cycle and to examine whether these conceptions vary by grade level and community setting. This study was descriptive in nature and reflected a cross‐age design involving the collection of qualitative data from 1,298 students from the Midwest, USA. These data were analysed for content in an inductive manner to identify student’s conceptions, and statistical analysis was used to determine the significance in the frequency of these student conceptions. Four categories emerged that reflected different degrees of sophistication of students’ conceptions of water transformation, movement, and storage. These Midwest students often portrayed the hydrologic cycle in the context of mountain or coastal landscapes that are common in textbooks but that are not representative of the environments where students live and where many of these students might apply their understanding of environmental systems as adults. Based on these findings, we make curricular recommendations that build on the students’ conceptions, the hydrologic concept, and the National Research Council science education standards.

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' conceptions about watersheds. Specifically: (1) What are students' conceptions of a watershed? and (2) In what ways might students' conceptions vary by grade level and community setting? This study was descriptive in nature and reflected a cross‐age design involving the collection of qualitative data from 915 students from the Midwest, United States. These qualitative data were analyzed for their content in an inductive manner, identifying student's conceptions. This content analysis was followed with a statistical analysis to determine the significance in the frequency of the identified student conceptions. Four categories emerged that reflected these students' conceptions. Based on these findings, we make curricular recommendations that build on the students' conceptions, the watershed concept, and the National Research Council (1996) Science Education Standards. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 91:554–578, 2007

What are students' mental models of the environment? In what ways, if any, do students' mental models vary by grade level or community setting? These two questions guided the research reported in this article. The Environments Task was administered to students from 25 different teacher‐classrooms. The student responses were first inductively analyzed in order to identify students' mental models of the environment. The second phase of analysis involved the statistical testing of the identified mental models. From this analysis four mental models emerged: Model 1, the environment as a place where animals/plants live—a natural place; Model 2, the environment as a place that supports life; Model 3, the environment as a place impacted or modified by human activity; and Model 4, the environment as a place where animals, plants, and humans live. The dominant mental model was Mental Model 1. Yet, a greater frequency of urban students than suburban and rural students held Mental Model 3. The implications to environmental science education are explored. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 44: 327–348, 2007