Development of a diagnostic test for knowledge levels and misconceptuals on global warming and climate change

Purpose: The aim of the study is to determine the knowledge levels and misconceptions of secondary school students about global warming and climate change. In this context, a diagnostic test was developed to identify students' misconceptions about these topics. The study aims to contribute to raising awareness of global climate change and improving educational programmes in this direction. Method: Mixed method was used in the study. In the quantitative part of the mixed method, data were collected by descriptive survey method. In the qualitative part, open-ended questions were used. In the data collection process, a diagnostic test developed by the researcher was applied to 1126 students studying in a public secondary school in Sincan district of Ankara. The test was prepared in line with expert opinions and finalised after the pre-application. The data obtained in the study were evaluated with both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods. Results: The findings revealed that students' knowledge levels about global warming and climate change differed significantly according to grade level. In addition, it was found that knowledge levels did not vary according to gender, parental education level and following scientific events, and that the course they liked affected their knowledge levels. It was observed that students frequently confused the concepts of greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change with ozone depletion and had serious knowledge deficiencies and misconceptions especially about the greenhouse effect. In addition, associating global warming with events such as acid rain and earthquakes, which are not directly related to global warming, stood out as a significant misconception. Conclusion and Suggestions: The study shows that students have serious knowledge deficiencies and misconceptions about greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change. This situation reveals that students have difficulty in understanding these subjects and that the current curricula are inadequate. In this context, it is clear that there is a need for innovative teaching approaches to increase environmental awareness and consciousness. It is recommended to give more importance to environmental education and to develop visual and interactive materials in this context. Increasing in-service trainings for science teachers can provide more effective teaching to students. In addition, it would be useful to organise various activities to increase students' interest in scientific events. The use of mixed methods in future studies may contribute to obtaining more comprehensive and in-depth results in this field.