Understanding of the atmospheric pollution of 9th graders

V diplomskem delu so predstavljeni rezultati tristopenjskega diagnostičnega preizkusa znanja z naslovom: Kako dobro poznam pojave v ozračju, ki so posledica onesnaževanja? Reševali so ga učenci in učenke devetega razreda izbranih osnovnih šol iz osmih različnih regij po Sloveniji. V diagnostičnem preizkusu znanja se petnajst zastavljenih vprašanj navezuje na (1) Zemljino atmosfero (sestavo atmosfere in njene elemente), (2) učinke, ki jih povzroča preveliko onesnaževanje Zemlje, (3) neozaveščeno ravnanje z odpadki in (4) mehanizme delovanja atmosferskih pojavov (kisli dež, topla greda ...). Raziskava je bila izpeljana s pomočjo tristopenjskega preizkusa znanja, saj je to primeren inštrument za proučevanje razumevanja učencev in preverjanja njihovih napačnih predstav. Udeleženec mora poleg odgovora na zastavljeno vprašanje izbrati tudi med ponujenimi alternativami razlag, ki pojasnjujejo njegovo odločitev. Na koncu vsakega vprašanja mora na šeststopenjski lestvici ovrednotiti prepričanost v svoj odgovor. Preizkus znanja z vprašanji trodelnega tipa omogoča zajetje velikega vzorca ter hitro analizo, tako dobljeni rezultati pa so dober pokazatelj napačnih predstav pri učencih. Rezultati kažejo, da imajo devetošolci veliko težav s poznavanjem zgradbe atmosfere in razumevanjem pojavov v ozračju, ki so posledica onesnaževanja. Zelo uspešni so bili pri prepoznavanju onesnaževal ozračja ter pri izbiri ukrepov, ki zmanjšujejo posledice kislih padavin. Veliko težav je učencem predstavljalo reševanje nalog v povezavi z ozonom, saj so vse prevečkrat napačno povezovali in enačili ozonsko luknjo in globalno segrevanje. Največ težav so učenci imeli pri vprašanju, kjer je bilo treba izbrati ukrepe, ki nimajo učinka na zmanjšanje globalnega segrevanja. Na vprašanje je uspešno odgovorilo le 12,3 % učencev, kar kaže, da je dejansko razumevanje procesov slabo. Tristopenjski preizkus znanja jasno kaže na to, da učenci sicer poznajo osnove in osnovne pojme atmosferskih pojavov in sprememb zaradi onesnaževanja, medtem ko posameznih sklopov ne razumejo ustrezno.This graduation thesis presents the results of three tier diagnostic test entitled: How well do I know the phenomena that are the result of pollution?. It was solved by the ninth grade students of elementary schools from eight different regions across Slovenia. Main topics of fifteen questions that are included in the test are: (1) Earths` atmosphere (composition and structure), (2) effects of excessive pollution of Earth, (3) incorrect waste management, (4) working mechanisms of atmospheric phenomena (acid rain, greenhouse effect …). In addition to answering the question, the participant must also choose between the offered alternative explanations explaining his decision. At the end of each question, student must evaluate the confidence in its response on a six-point scale. The test with three tier type questions allows the capture of a large sample and a quick analysis, and the results thus obtained are a good indicator of misconceptions among students. The results of the research have shown that the students in ninth grade have many problems with knowledge of atmospheric composition and understanding atmosphere phenomena that are the result of pollution. They have been very successful in identifying atmospheric pollutants and selecting solutions that reduce the effects of acid rain. Students had many problems with solving tasks that included ozone, because they too often identify ozone hole and global warming as the same thing. The hardest question for the students was the one where they had to choose actions that have no impact on decreasing global warming. Only 12.3 % of students answered this question correctly, which shows that this process is poorly understood. A three tier test clearly shows that students have basic knowledge and they know fundamental concepts of atmospheric phenomena and pollution changes, while individual sections aren\u27t understood correctly