Abstract
There are several studies dealing with students’ conceptions on climate change, but most of them refer to understanding before instruction. In contrast, this study investigates students’ conceptions and describes the levels of sophistication of their mental models on climate change and the greenhouse effect. The participants were 40 secondary students (grade 7) in Spain. As a method of data collection, a questionnaire was designed with open-ended questions focusing on the mechanism, causes, and actions that could be useful in reducing climate change. Students completed the same questionnaire before and after instruction. The students’ conceptions and mental models were identified by an inductive and iterative analysis of the participants’ explanations. With regard to the students’ conceptions, the results show that they usually link climate change to an increase in temperature, and they tend to mention, even after instruction, generic actions to mitigate climate change, such as not polluting. With regard to the students’ mental models, the results show an evolution of models with little consistency and coherence, such as the models on level 1, towards higher levels of sophistication. The paper concludes with educational implications proposed for solving learning difficulties regarding the greenhouse effect and climate change.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersson, B., & Wallin, A. (2000). Students’ understanding of the greenhouse effect, the societal consequences of reducing CO2 emissions and the problem of ozone layer depletion. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(10), 1096–1111. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-2736(200012)37:10<1096::AID-TEA4>3.0.CO;2-8.
Anyanwu, R., Le Grange, L., & Beets, P. (2015). Climate change science: the literacy of geography teachers in the Western Cape province, South Africa. South African Journal of Education, 35(3), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.15700/SAJE.V35N3A1160.
Arto, M., & Meira, P. A. (2011). Cuéntaselo a Gurb. El cambio climático y las ideas previas [Tell it to Gurb. Climate change and previous ideas]. In P.A. Meira (Ed.), Conoce y valora el cambio climático. Propuestas para trabajar en grupo (pp. 17–23). Santiago de Compostela: Mapfre.
Aydin, F., & Coşkun, M. (2010). Global warming’ perceptions of primary education 7th grade students in Turkey. World Applied Sciences Journal, 10(4), 426–432.
Berkowitz, A. R., Ford, M. F., & Brewer, C. A. (2005). A framework for integrating ecological literacy, civics literacy and environmental citizenship in environmental education. In E. A. Johnson & M. J. Mappin (Eds.), Environmental education and advocacy: changing perspectives of ecology and education (pp. 227–266). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Bodzin, A. M., Anastasio, D., Sahagian, D., Peffer, T., Dempsey, C., & Steelman, R. (2014). Investigating climate change understandings of urban middle-level students. Journal of Geoscience Education, 62(3), 417–430. https://doi.org/10.5408/13-042.1.
Bofferding, L., & Kloser, M. (2015). Middle and high school students’ conceptions of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. Environmental Education Research, 21(2), 275–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2014.888401.
Boyes, E., & Stanisstreet, M. (1993). The greenhouse effect: children’s perception of causes, consequences and cures. International Journal of Science Education, 15(5), 531–552.
Boyes, E., Skamp, K., & Stanisstreet, M. (2009). Australian secondary students’ views about global warming: Beliefs about actions, and willingness to act. Research in Science Education, 39(5), 661–680.
Bybee, R. W. (1993). Reforming Science Education. Social Perspectives & Personal Reflections. New York: Teachers College Press.
Chang, C., & Pascua, L. (2016). Singapore students’ misconceptions of climate change. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 25(1), 84–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2015.1106206.
Chhokar, K., Dua, S., Taylor, N., Boyes, E., & Stanisstreet, M. (2011). Indian secondary students’ views about global warming: beliefs about the usefulness of actions and willingness to act. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 9(5), 1167–1188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-010-9254-z.
Chi, M. T. H. (2008). Three types of conceptual change: belief revision, mental models transformation, and categorical shift. In S. Vosniadou (Ed.), Handbook of research on conceptual change (pp. 61–82). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.
Christensen, R., & Knezek, G. (2015). The climate change attitude survey: measuring middle school student beliefs and intentions to enact positive environmental change. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 10(5), 773–788.
Dawson, V. (2015). Western Australian high school students’ understandings about the socioscientific issue of climate change. International Journal of Science Education, 37(7), 1024–1043. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2015.1015181.
Dove, J. (1996). Student teacher understanding of the greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion and acid rain. Environmental Education Research, 2(1), 89–100.
Duit, R. (2009). Bibliography STCSE: students’ and teachers’ conceptions and science education. Kiel: University of Kiel.
Duit, R., & Treagust, D. P. (2003). Conceptual change: a powerful framework for improving science teaching and learning. International Journal of Science Education, 25(6), 671–688. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690305016.
Dyball, R., Brown, V. A., & Kenn, M. (2007). Towards sustainability: five strands of social learning. In A. E. J. Wals (Ed.), Social learning towards a sustainable world (pp. 181–194). Wageningen: Wageningen Academic Publishers.
Fernández, G., González, G., & Molina, J. L. (2011). El cambio climático y el agua: Lo que piensan los universitarios [Climate change and water: what undergraduates think]. Enseñanza de las ciencias: Revista de investigación y experiencias didácticas, 29(3), 427–438.
Fisher, B. (1998). Australian students’ appreciation of the greenhouse effect and the ozone hole. Australian Science Teachers Journal, 44(3), 46–55.
Francis, C., Boyes, E., Qualter, A., & Stanisstreet, M. (1993). Ideas of elementary students about reducing the “greenhouse effect”. Science Education, 77(4), 375–392.
Gadgil, S., Nokes-Malach, T. J., & Chi, M. T. H. (2012). Effectiveness of holistic mental model confrontation in driving conceptual change. Learning and Instruction, 22(1), 47–61.
García-Rodeja, I., & Lima, G. (2012). Sobre el cambio climático y el cambio de los modelos de pensamiento de los alumnos [On climate change and the change of models of students’ thinking]. Enseñanza de las Ciencias, 30(3), 195–218.
Gilbert, J. K., & Boulter, C. J. (2000). Developing models in science education. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Goldman, D., Yavetz, B., & Pe’er, S. (2014). Student teachers’ attainment of environmental literacy in relation to their discipline major during undergraduate studies. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 9(4), 369–383. https://doi.org/10.12973/ijese.2014.222a.
Gómez-Granell, C., & Cervera-March, S. (1993). Development of conceptual knowledge and attitudes about energy and environment. International Journal of Science Education, 5(15), 553–565. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069930150508.
Greca, I. M., & Moreira, M. A. (2000). Mental models, conceptual models, and modelling. International Journal of Science Education, 22(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/095006900289976.
Groves, F. H., & Pugh, A. F. (1999). Elementary pre-service teacher perceptions of the greenhouse effect. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 8(1), 75–81. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009433705790.
Gutiérrez, R. (1994). Coherencia del pensamiento espontáneo y causalidad. El caso de la dinámica elemental [Coherency of spontaneous thinking and causality. The case of elemental dynamics] (Doctoral thesis). Madrid: Complutense University of Madrid.
Gutiérrez, R. (2004). La modelización y los procesos de enseñanza/aprendizaje [Modelling and teaching/learning processes]. Alambique: Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales, 10(42), 8–18.
Harris, S. E., & Gold, A. U. (2017). Learning molecular behavior may improve student explanatory models of the greenhouse effect. Environmental Education Research, 1–18. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1280448.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2014). Climate change 2014: synthesis report. Contribution of working groups I, II and III to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Geneva: IPCC.
Jickling, B., & Wals, E. J. (2008). Globalization and environmental education: looking beyond sustainable development. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 40(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220270701684667.
Jones, N. A., Ross, H., Lynam, T., Perez, P., & Leitch, A. (2011). Mental models: an interdisciplinary synthesis of theory and methods. Ecology and Society, 16(1), 46.
Karpudewan, M., Roth, W. M., & Chandrakesan, K. (2014). Remediating misconception on climate change among secondary school students in Malaysia. Environmental Education Research, 21(4), 631–648. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2014.891004.
Karpudewan, M., Roth, W. M., & Abdullah, M. N. S. B. (2015). Enhancing primary school students’ knowledge about global warming and environmental attitude using climate change activities. International Journal of Science Education, 37(1), 31–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2014.958600.
Kilinç, A., Stanisstreet, M., & Boyes, E. (2008). Turkish students’ ideas about global warming. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 3(2), 89–98.
Klosterman, M. L., & Sadler, T. D. (2010). Multi-level assessment of scientific content knowledge gains associated with socioscientific issues-based instruction. International Journal of Science Education, 32(8), 1017–1043. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690902894512.
Koulaidis, V., & Christidou, V. (1999). Models of students’ thinking concerning the greenhouse effect and teaching implications. Science Education, 83(5), 559–576.
Kroufek, R. (2014). Pre-service primary teachers’ misconceptions about the greenhouse effect. In L. Gómez, A. López, I. Candel (Eds.), ICERI 2014 proceedings (pp. 4069–4074). Seville: IATED Academy.
Liarakou, G., Athanasiadis, I., & Gavrilakis, C. (2011). What Greek secondary school students believe about climate change? International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 6(1), 79–98.
McGinnis, J. R., Breslyn, W., McDonald, R. C., & Hestness, E. (2017). Supporting the inclusion of climate change in U.S. science education curricula by use of learning progressions. In D. P. Shepardson, A. Roychoudhury, & A. S. Hirsch (Eds.), Teaching and learning about climate change (pp. 135–152). New York: Routledge.
Meadows, G., & Wiesenmayer, R. L. (1999). Identifying and addressing students’ alternative conceptions of the causes of global warming: the need for cognitive conflict. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 8(3), 235–239. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009412414470.
Miller, H. K., & Anderson, C. W. (2017). Using next generation science standards’ crosscutting concepts as a tool for climate change and citizenship education. In D. P. Shepardson, A. Roychoudhury, & A. S. Hirsch (Eds.), Teaching and learning about climate change (pp. 181–193). New York: Routledge.
Mohan, L., Chen, J., & Anderson, C. W. (2009). Developing a multi-year learning progression for carbon cycling in socio-ecological systems. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46(6), 675–698. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20314.
Oliva, J. M. (1999). Algunas reflexiones sobre las concepciones alternativas y el cambio conceptual [Some reflections on alternative conceptions and conceptual change]. Enseñanza de las Ciencias, 17(1), 93–107.
Papadimitriou, V. (2004). Prospective primary teachers’ understanding of climate change, greenhouse effect, and ozone layer depletion. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 13(2), 299–307. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOST.0000031268.72848.6d.
Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Posner, G. J., Strike, K. A., Hewson, P. W., & Gertzog, W. A. (1982). Accomodation of a scientific conception: toward a theory of conceptual change. Science Education, 66(2), 211–227.
Pruneau, D., Liboiron, L., Vrain, E., Gravel, H., Bourque, W., & Langis, J. (2001). People’s ideas about climate change: a source of inspiration for the creation of educational programs. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 6, 121–138.
Pruneau, D., Gravel, H., Bourque, W., & Langis, J. (2003). Experimentation with a socio-constructivist process for climate change education. Environmental Education Research, 9(4), 429–446. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462032000126096.
Punter, P., Ochando-Pardo, M., & García, J. (2011). Spanish secondary students’ notions on the causes and consequences of climate change. International Journal of Science Education, 33(3), 447–464. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2010.492253.
Ratinen, I., Viiri, J., & Lehesvuori, S. (2013). Primary school student teachers’ understanding of climate change: comparing the results given by concept map and communication analysis. Research in Science Education, 43(5), 1801–1823. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2011.587845.
Reinfried, S., & Tempelmann, S. (2014). The impact of secondary school students’ preconceptions on the evolution of their mental models of the greenhouse effect and global warming. International Journal of Science Education, 36(2), 304–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2013.773598.
Rickinson, M. (2001). Learners and learning in environmental education: a critical review of the evidence. Environmental Education Research, 7(3), 207–320. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620120065230.
Roth, C. (1992). Environmental literacy: its roots, evolution and directions in the 1990s. Columbus: ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education.
Roychoudhury, A., Shepardson, D. P., & Hirsch, A. S. (2017). System thinking and teaching in the context of climate system and climate change. In D. P. Shepardson, A. Roychoudhury, & A. S. Hirsch (Eds.), Teaching and learning about climate change (pp. 29–42). New York: Routledge.
Schraw, G., Crippen, K. J., & Hartley, K. (2006). Promoting self-regulation in science education: metacognition as part of a broader perspective on learning. Research in Science Education, 36(1–2), 111–139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-005-3917-8.
Schwarz, C. V., Reiser, B. J., Davis, E. A., Kenyon, L., Acher, A., Fortus, D., Shwartz, Y., Hug, B., & Krajcik, J. (2009). Developing a learning progression for scientific modeling: making scientific modeling accessible and meaningful for learners. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46(6), 632–654.
Shepardson, D. P., Niyogi, D., Choi, S., & Charusombat, U. (2009). Seventh grade students’ conceptions of global warming and climate change. Environmental Education Research, 15(5), 549–570. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620903114592.
Shepardson, D. P., Choi, S., Niyogi, D., & Charusombat, U. (2011a). Seventh grade students’ mental models of the greenhouse effect. Environmental Education Research, 17(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620903564549.
Shepardson, D. P., Niyogi, D., Choi, S., & Charusombat, U. (2011b). Students’ conceptions about the greenhouse effect, global warming, and climate change. Climatic Change, 104(3–4), 481–507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-009-9786-9.
Shepardson, D. P., Roychoudhury, A., & Hirsch, A. S. (2017). Using conceptual and physical models to develop students’ mental models of the greenhouse effect. In D. P. Shepardson, A. Roychoudhury, & A. S. Hirsch (Eds.), Teaching and learning about climate change (pp. 85–105). New York: Routledge.
Sóñora, F., & García-Rodeja, I. (1996). Ideas dos alumnos de 2º ciclo da E.S.O. sobre o efecto invernadoiro [Students’ ideas in the 2nd cycle of E.S.O. on the greenhouse effect]. Boletín das Ciencias, 28, 75–84.
Strickhouser, N., Roychoudhury, A., Hirsch, A. S., & Mehta, J. V. (2017). Teaching informed by conceptual difficulties with understanding the greenhouse effect. In D. P. Shepardson, A. Roychoudhury, & A. S. Hirsch (Eds.), Teaching and learning about climate change (pp. 203–214). New York: Routledge.
Taber, F., & Taylor, N. (2009). Climate of concern—a search for effective strategies for teaching children about global warming. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 4(2), 97–116.
Taylor, S. J., & Bodgan, R. (1998). Introduction to qualitative research methods: a guidebook and resource. New York: Wiley.
UNESCO. (1989). Environmental literacy for all. Connect, 14(2), 1–8.
United Nations. (1992). United Nations framework convention on climate change: text. Geneva: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/ World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
White, R., & Gunstone, R. (1992). Probing understanding. London: The Falmer Press.
Yazdanparast, T., Salehpour, S., Masjedi, M. R., Seyedmehdi, S. M., Boyes, E., Stanisstreet, M., & Attarchi, M. (2013). Global warming: knowledge and views of Iranian students. Acta Medica Iranica, 51(3), 178.
Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research. Design and methods. California: Sage Publications.
Funding
This study was funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (EDU2012-38022-C02-01 and EDU2015-66643-C2-2-P).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have not conflict of interest.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Ethical Standard
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Varela, B., Sesto, V. & García-Rodeja, I. An Investigation of Secondary Students’ Mental Models of Climate Change and the Greenhouse Effect. Res Sci Educ 50, 599–624 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9703-1
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9703-1