Greek pre-service teachers understanding of air pollution issues: Ozone layer depletion and acid rain

Transcription

1 Greek pre-service teachers understanding of air pollution issues: Ozone layer depletion and acid rain Penelope Papadopoulou, Lecturer, Dpt of Early Childhood Education Georgios Malandrakis, Lecturer, Dpt of Primary Education

2 Importance of air pollution The Health of the Planet survey 29,618 respondents from 24 countries Air pollution was the most frequently mentioned environmental problem faced by various nations (Dunlap 1994)

3 Main air pollution issues Ozone depletion and acid rain The struggle for ameliorating these problems has persisted for many years International conventions and protocols, e.g.: Acid rain - Convention on Long-range Trans-boundary Air Pollution (1979 Protocol of Helsinki Ozone depletion - Montreal Protocol (1987)

4 The main misconception The confusion between global warming and ozone depletion Both in students and in teachers

5 Other findings of Educational Research Teachers Overemphasis on the potential hazards of ozone layer depletion to human health Poor knowledge of the gases responsible for acid rain Knowledge gaps concerning acid rain, ozone depletion, and the greenhouse effect, as most of the environmental knowledge derived from media

6 Research questions What are Florina School of Education Students ideas about the causes and consequences regarding the ozone layer depletion and the formation of acid rain? Which factors influence their ideas on the same issues?

7 Participants 158 student-teachers (STs) from the Departments of Primary (80 or 50.6%) and Early Childhood Education (79 or 49.4%) University of Western Macedonia 86.1% Females 75.9% Theoretical Brunch in Secondary Education

8 Setting and data collection Web-based survey (Limesurvey open source software) Not anonymous In one session (maximum 30 min)

9 Research tool A questionnaire 26 closed questions (multiple choice) In first part demographics In 3 d and 4 th part conceptions about: ozone depletion (the role of humans, human activities causing it, the chemical mechanism, relation with the greenhouse effect, and consequences). acid rain (the cause, origin, consequences, human activities related)

10 Analysis Coding (1 selected, 0 not selected nominal variables) Descriptive Chi square Introduction Methodology Findings Summary

11 Knowledge about ozone layer depletion Ozon layer depletion (O 3 ) is mainly due to: 87.9% CFCs CO2 CO CH4

12 Knowledge about human activities related with ozone depletion Human activity, mainly responsible for the ozone layer depletion is: Don't know Energy from nuclear plants 15.9% Energy from coal & oil Foam material production 2.5% Use aerosols sprays 81.5%

13 Knowledge about the consequences of ozone depletion Human activity, mainly responsible for the ozone layer depletion is: Don't know Energy from nuclear plants 15.9% Energy from coal & oil Foam material production 2.5% Use aerosols sprays 81.5%

14 Knowledge about the acid rain formation Acid rain: causes 91,7% ,6% 7,6% CO CO2 SO2

15 Acid rain formation: Natural or human originated phenomenon Acid rain: Origins 78.34% % Human activities 0.64% Natural phenomena Natural phenomena + Human activities

16 Knowledge about human activities related with acid rain formation 80% 70% Acid rain: anthropogenic contributions 68.80% 60% 50% 40% 30% 30.60% 20% 10% 0% 0.60% Airconditioning Combustion of coal Combustion of oil

17 Acid rain s impact in human beings and the environment Acid rain: Concequences % Increase in soil's ph 0.6% Skin cancers 79.6% Forests and other vegetation damages

18 Yes No Coherence in student confusion between global warming and ozone depletion B. Further ozone layer depletion will result if global warming gets worse (in ozone depletion question) A. One of the factors enhancing greenhouse effect is the holes in ozone layer (in a greenhouse effect question). Yes No

19 Significant differences By Gender The conflation between the greenhouse effect and the ozone layer depletion is significantly more frequent among females (x 2 =4.442, df =1, p<0.05) Ozone destruction consequences in phytoplankton. Males more frequently give the scientifically accepted answer than females (x 2 =4.238, df=1, p<0.05) The impact of acid rain in soil s ph, where less females (x 2 =10.748, df=1, p<0.01)

20 Results consistent with those published in literature Students present low discrimination level among the two major environmental problems, ozone depletion and greenhouse effect The hold the misconception that ozone depletion in general is conducive to climate change Regarding the position of the ozone layer and the consequences from its further depletion, appears that our students to have a good understanding As one fifth of our students attribute acids rain formation only to human activities. This confirms the findings of Ryan (1990) and Thornber et al. (1999) that anything natural is seen as good, with only unnatural, human-made artefacts or processes having the potential to be bad

21 Interesting findings The very low proportion of STs that recognizes foam material production as harmful to stratospheric ozone and the high percentage that still accepts outdating knowledge about the relation of aerosol sprays and ozone layer depletion. Based to our knowledge, similar results have not been reported yet elsewhere in the educational research. The coherent way that misconception related to ozone destruction and global warming appears. Further investigation

22 Implications Need to continue teaching about all issues related to air pollution and not exclusively focus to problems considered of high priority like global warming Teaching enriched with the presentation of international environmental initiatives and policy measures confronting them. Otherwise students will continue to endorse out-dated knowledge and adopt ineffective behaviour The positive results of specific international initiatives illuminate an optimistic view of the ability of humanity to address environmental issues. This optimism is necessary for people to be involved in pro-environmental action.

23 Thank you so much for your attention