Identifiying some misconceptions of elementary school students (6 th, 7 th and 8 th grades) about environmental problems

ABSTRACT Traditional learning strategies are insufficient to realize the significant learning in environment education. The first condition to provide the learning is to determine the first and wrong concepts that they acquire from their parents and environment and form in their minds. In this direction, the aim of the study is to determine the first and the wrong concepts that the 6, 7 and 8 class students acquire in the subjects of ozone layer, greenhouse effect and acid rain which are the subjects to the science in the school curriculum and the determine the perception ways of these concepts. Another aim is to search, how the determined concepts are perceived according to the levels of students. 504 students (6, 7 and 8 class) that are attending at 6 central primary school in Hatay are the sample of the study. The study is done at the 2000-2001 education year, second term with the sudents. In this study, in order to determine the first and wrong concepts of the students about ozone layer, greenhouse effect and acid rain and the dragnose how they form these concepts a performance test is applied to the students. To measure the attitudes of students towards the science lesson a research questionnaire is applied. The dataum is evaluated in the SPSS package programme, the answer frequency and percents are calculated and classified according to the class levels with the cross table analyze while interpreting the answers, according to the class levels significant differences are determined if there is one and how they form the first and wrong concepts is searched.VI The results show that the students have the first and wrong concepts about ozone layer, greenhouse effect and acid rain in their minds and they from there concepts by effected with various ways (school education, scientific journals, their environment, T.V., newspaper, radio, etc.). However the students have positive ideas about the lesson books and science it is determined that they have wrong concepts. Key Words : Environmental Education, Ozone Layer, Greenhouse Effect, Acid Rain, Concept, Misconcept.