Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Teaching Air Pollution in an Authentic Context

  • Published:
Journal of Science Education and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper describes a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) about air pollution and the findings resulting from its implementation by pre-service elementary teachers (PET) currently undergraduate students of the Department of Primary Education in the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. The TLS focused on the relation of air pollution with wind and topography in local conditions. An authentic context was provided to the students based on daily up-to-date meteorological data via the Internet in order to estimate air pollution. The results are encouraging given that PET can correlate wind and concentration of air pollutants through reading specialized angular diagrams and weather maps, can recognize the correlation of topography in the concentration of air pollutants, and can describe temperature inversion. However, the PET demonstrated clear difficulties in ability of orientation, in wind naming, and in interpretation of symbols on weather map. Finally, the implications on teaching air pollution are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Boyes E, Stanisstreet M, Spiliotopoulou-Papantoniou V (1999) The ideas of Greek high school students about the “ozone layer”. Sci Educ 83(6):724–737

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyes Ε, Myers G, Skamp K, Stanisstreet M, Yeung S (2007) Air quality: a comparison of students’ conceptions and attitudes across the continents. Compare: A journal of comparative education 37(4):425–445

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown F (2000) The effect of an inquiry-oriented environmental science course on preservice elementary teachers’ attitudes about science. J Elem Sci Educ 12(2):1–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bybee RW (2000) Teaching science as inquiry. In: Minstrell J, van Zee EH (eds) Inquiring into inquiry learning and teaching in science. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC, pp. 20–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Chinn CA, Hmelo-Silver CE (2002) Authentic inquiry: introduction to the special section. Sci Educ 86(2):171–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen L, Manion L, Morrison K (2007) Research methods in education, 6th edn. Routledge Publishers, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham WP, Cunningham MA (2008) Environmental science: a global concern, 10th edn. McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Dillon J, Scott W (2002) Editorial—perspectives on environmental education-related research in science education. Int J Sci Educ 24(11):1111–1117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dove J (1998) Alternative conceptions about the weather. Sch Sci Rev 79(289):65–69

    Google Scholar 

  • Edelson DC (2007) Environmental science for all? Considering environmental science for inclusion in the high school core curriculum. Sci Educ 16(1):42–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Henriques L (2002) Children’s ideas about weather: a review of the literature. Sch Sci Math 102(5):202–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hespanha SR, Goodchild F, Janelle DG (2009) Spatial thinking and technologies in the undergraduate social science classroom. J Geogr High Educ 33(S1):17–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt CN, Jackson A (2003) Handbook of atmospheric sciences—principles and applications. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Howitt D, Cramer D (2001) A guide to computing statistics with SPSS for windows version 10. Pearson Education Limited

  • Kahl JDW (2001) Weather forecasting using the Internet. Sci Teach 2001:22–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Khalid T (2001) Pre-service teachers’ misconceptions regarding three environmental issues. Can J Environ Educ 6:102–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Lalas D, Asimakopoulos D, Deligiorgi D, Helmis C (1983) Sea breeze circulation and photochemical pollution in Athens, Greece. Atmos Environ 17(9):1621–1632

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee J, Bednarz R (2009) Effect of GIS learning on spatial thinking. J Geogr High Educ 33(2):183–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee H-S, Butler-Songer N (2003) Making authentic science accessible to students. Int J Sci Educ 25(8):923–948

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linn MC (1998) The impact of technology on science instruction: historical trends and current opportunities. In: Fraser BJ, Tobin KG (eds) International handbook of science education. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 265–294

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Mandrikas A, Skordoulis C, Halkia K (2013a) Pre-service elementary teachers’ conceptions about wind. Int J Sci Educ 35(11):1902–1924

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mandrikas A, Parkosidis I, Psomiadis P, Stoumpa A, Chalkidis A, Mavrikaki E, Skordoulis C (2013b) Improving pre-service elementary teachers’ education via a laboratory course on air pollution: one university’s experience. J Sci Educ Technol 22(2):113–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Means B (1998) Melding authentic science, technology, and inquiry-based teaching: experiences of the GLOBE program. J Sci Educ Technol 7(1):97–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyer S (2006) A new perspective on surface weather maps. Science Activities 42(4):3–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Minstrell J, Van Zee EH (eds) (2000) Inquiring into inquiry learning and teaching in science. American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Moussiopoulos N, Papalexiou S, Sahm P (2006) Wind flow and photochemical air pollution in Thessaloniki, Greece. Part I: simulations with the European Zooming Mode. Environ Model Softw 21:1741–1751

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers G, Boyes E, Stanisstreet M (2004) School students’ ideas about air pollution: knowledge and attitudes. Research in Science and Technological Education 22(2):133–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osborne J, Dillon J (eds) (2010) Good practice in science education: what research has to say, 2nd edn. McGraw-Hill & Open University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Papadimitriou V (2004) Prospective primary teachers’ understanding of climate change, greenhouse effect, and ozone layer depletion. J Sci Educ Technol 13(2):299–307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skamp K, Boyes E, Stanisstreet M (2003) Teaching about air quality. Aust Sci Teach J 49(2):12–21

    Google Scholar 

  • Skamp K, Boyes E, Stanisstreet M (2004) Students’ ideas and attitudes about air quality. Res Sci Educ 34(3):313–342

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Skordoulis C, Sotirakou M (2005) Environment: science and education. Leader Books, Athens (in Greek)

    Google Scholar 

  • Songer NB (1996) Exploring learning opportunities in coordinated network-enhanced classrooms: a case of kids as global scientists. Journal of the Learning Sciences 5(4):297–327

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornber J, Stanisstreet M, Boyes E (1999) School students’ ideas about air pollution: hindrance or help for learning? J Sci Educ Technol 8(1):67–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ucar S, Trundle KC, Krissek L (2011) Inquiry-based instruction with archived, online data: an intervention study with preservice teachers. Res Sci Educ 41(2):261–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO (2005) UN decade of education for sustainable development 2005–2014, draft international implementation scheme. UNESCO, ED/2005/PI/H/1, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Varotsos CΑ, Efstathiou MΝ, Kondratyev ΚΥ (2003) Long-term variation in surface ozone and its precursors in Athens, Greece—a forecasting tool. Environ Sci Pollut Res 10(1):19–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittaker TM, Ackerman SA (2002) Interactive web-based learning with Java. Bull Am Meteorol Soc 83(7):970–975

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Science Education, 22 Thessalias str, 17456, Athens, Greece

    Achilleas Mandrikas

  2. Department of Primary Education, University of Crete, Rethymnon, Greece

    Dimitrios Stavrou

  3. Department of Primary Education, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Constantine Skordoulis

Authors
  1. Achilleas Mandrikas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dimitrios Stavrou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Constantine Skordoulis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Achilleas Mandrikas.

Appendix

Appendix

Pre-test questionnaire: wind, topography, and air pollution

figure afigure a

Post-test questionnaire: wind, topography, and air pollution

figure bfigure b

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mandrikas, A., Stavrou, D. & Skordoulis, C. Teaching Air Pollution in an Authentic Context. J Sci Educ Technol 26, 238–251 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-016-9675-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-016-9675-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation