In this time of concern over climate change due to the atmospheric greenhouse effect, teachers often choose to extend relevant classroom work by the use of physical models to test statements. Here we describe an activity in which inexpensive backyard models made from cardboard boxes covered with various household transparent materials allow…

Identifies and describes misconceptions held by preservice elementary teachers about the greenhouse effect, atmospheric ozone, and acid precipitation. (Contains 28 references.) (DDR)

This paper provides a video-based learning process study that investigates the kinds of mental models of the atmospheric greenhouse effect 13-year-old learners have and how these mental models change with a learning environment, which is optimised in regard to instructional psychology. The objective of this explorative study was to observe and…

The document is a student resource unit to be used in teaching high school vocational agriculture students about air. The following natural processes are described: carbon dioxide cycle, nitrogen cycle, gravity and atmosphere, energy of the sun, greenhouse effect, atmospheric circulation, and precipitation. Sources of air pollution are discussed.…

The objective of this study was to evaluate university students' understanding of atmospheric environmental issues according to gender and attending (or not) a college level environmental course (CLEC) including topics such as global warming (GW), greenhouse effect (GE), ozone layer depletion (OLD) and acid rain (AR), and to investigate their…

The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the prospective science and social studies teachers' knowledge of and misconceptions about atmospheric environmental problems. In this study, the causal-comparative design was used. The sample of the study consisted of 441 prospective science and social studies teachers studying at faculties of…

Global change phenomena, such as an enhancing greenhouse effect, acid rain or the depletion of stratospheric ozone, are considered as environmental problems. Contrary to the demands of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), three recently published studies have shown that German students still struggle with the acquisition of a…

Research has shown that high school and college students have a lack of conceptual understanding of global warming, ozone, and the greenhouse effect. Most research in this area used survey methodologies and did not include concepts of atmospheric chemistry and ozone formation. This study investigates college students' understandings of atmospheric…

This article describes an 8-10 week problem-based learning unit for fifth graders that introduced them to the facts underlying global climate change. This unit was inspired by the lack of awareness in our national population around this clear threat to our global ecosystem and takes on this goal: to provide students (our future advocates and…

This teacher's guide presents teaching suggestions and presentation materials about sustainable development, important trends that could lead to human and environmental disasters in the future if they continue unchecked, and how each country has a different path to sustainable development. The lesson is divided into six parts and may be completed…

It is known that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are a major contributor to global climate change and that reducing our emissions will stem its acceleration (Baker et al., 2007). Aside from emission reductions, another method for stemming global climate change is to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere by storing…

There is a misconception among undergraduate students that global warming is caused by holes in the ozone layer. In this study, we evaluated the presence of this and other misconceptions surrounding atmospheric chemistry that are responsible for the entanglement of the greenhouse effect and the ozone hole in students' conceptual frameworks. We…

Presents an overview of global atmospheric problems relating to ozone depletion and global warming. Provides background information on the composition of the earth's atmosphere and origin of atmospheric ozone. Describes causes, effects, and evidence of ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect. A vignette provides a summary of a 1991 assessment of…

Indicates that atmospheric science is not just forcasting the weather. Gives an overview of current topics in meteorology including ozone depletion, acid precipitation, winter cyclones, severe local storms, the greenhouse effect, wind shear and microbursts. Outlines the Atmospheric Sciences Education Program at Purdue University to produce…

Describes exercises to examine the global carbon cycle. Students are asked to predict consequences of increased carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and to suggest ways to mitigate problems associated with these higher levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. A comparison modeling exercise examines some of the variables related to the success…