Qualitative Analysis of College Students’ Ideas about the Earth: Interviews and Open-Ended Questionnaires
Julie C. Libarkin, Steven W. Anderson, Julie Dahl, Beilfuss Meredith, William Boone January 2005 Journal of Geoscience Education v53 n1 17

This study published by the Journal of Geoscience Education addresses student conceptual understanding and conceptual changes in college science courses. Data were collected at a small private university, two large state schools, and one small public liberal arts college. Students were probed on a variety of topics related to the Earth's crust and interior, as well as geologic time. Analysis of questionnaire and interview responses indicates that students hold a number of non-scientific ideas about the Earth. Additionally, students apply a range of ontological categories to geologic phenomena, with significant implications for teaching geosciences from a systems perspective.


Full text available online

This resource is referenced here:
Subject: Biology:Evolution, Education:Assessment:Knowledge Survey, Education
Resource Type: Pedagogic Resources:Opinion, Research Results, Journal Article
Research on Learning: Instructional Design, Geoscience Expertise:Geologic Time, Cognitive Domain:Misconceptions/barriers to learning