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Stavridou, H. and Marinopoulos, D. (2001) 'Water and air pollution: Primary students' conceptions about "itineraries" and interactions of substances', Chemistry Education: Research and practice in Europe, 2(1), pp. 31-41.
This paper reports a research study by the authors that explored three questions about the thinking of students aged 11-12.
1) The ways pollution is produced.
2) The possibility of movement of different substances in the atmosphere or in water.
3) The possible conservation or interaction of substances in the atmosphere or in water.
The study was undertaken in seven primary schools in Volos, Greece with 229 students taking part in the experimental classes and 170 in control classes.The focus of the study was on whether the developed teaching intervention improved understanding between a pre and post-test. The paper was published in 2001.
The part of the paper that inspired my thinking was the results of the pre-test relating to the movement of air pollution which showed the understanding (or lack of understanding) of students at the start of the study.
Question 1
If exhaust fumes and other harmful gases emitted from central heating and factory chimneys appear in a distant place, from which of the following places do you think they could finally reach Volos?
Over 96% of students thought air pollution could reach Volos from nearby towns and villages.
About 50% of students thought air pollution could reach Volos from Italy and only about 28% thought it could reach from the USA.
Question 2
If car fumes, central heating fumes and fumes emitted from factory chimneys appear in Volos, to which of the following areas do you think they can go?
Over 96% of students thought air pollution from Volos could reach nearby towns and villages. Only about 45% thought that air pollution from Volos could reach Italy and only 25% that it could reach the USA.
Some students’ explanations for only selecting nearer places were that these harmful gases could only reach nearby areas and not faraway areas. This is not so much an explanation as a statement of what students thought to be the case.
Some students who that thought the air pollutants could move suggested that they [the harmful gases] could go everywhere because they are easily carried by the air.
The authors concluded that their teaching intervention about air and water had improved the answers of the experimental classes substantially.
A key recommendation from the authors was that teaching should help students to understand the global dimension of pollution as well as the ways air pollutants transfer from one place to another. They suggest that the science curriculum should include concepts relating to the diffusion (and dilution) of pollutants in the atmosphere as well as the movement of air masses.
BEST Diagnostic Question
Pollutant locations
In which location could air pollutants be present?
A country road
B city
C mountain
D motorway
[Image credits: country road http://clipart-library.com/clipart/1733136.htm
city https://www.wpclipart.com/buildings/city/city_other/city_clipart.png.html
mountain http://clipart-library.com/clip-art/mountain-clipart-transparent-background-1.htm
motorway Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay]
Reflective questions
Do you think that all your students understand the movement of air pollutants or do you think that some students may hold misconceptions?
To what extent do you explicitly teach about the movement of air pollutants?
What are the implications of any misconceptions about the movement of air pollutants on understanding causes of increasing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and ways to mitigate this?
Useful links
BEST Topic 1 Key concept 1: Air quality
Diagnostic question to check for student misconceptions about air quality as part of a five-part progression (including response activities).
University of York Science Education Group
