University Students’ Conceptions about Global Warming and Climate Change

Abstract

The aim of this study is to assess the global warming and climate change preconceptions and misconceptions of students. Descriptive survey method was used for the study.  The participants of this study were 84 university students who were in the first and last year of their study. Results show that in survey-based conception test first-year geography students scored significantly higher than third-year geography students (mean score of 57.42 to 52.00 and standard deviation 7.10 to 8.50 respectively; MD=5.42, t (82) 3.13, P=0.002, α=0.05.). Analyses of gender effect reveals that male students scored slightly higher (M=55.26, SD=8.36) than their female counterparts (M=52.65, SD=8.07) on climate change conceptual knowledge; MD=2.60, t (82) 1.33, P=0.186, α=0.05. Findings further indicate that both education levels grip a lot of cause-related and evidence-related misconceptions about the climate change. The mismatch between educational level and environmental conceptual knowledge calls for among others reevaluation of current harmonized modular curricula that help students to acquire deep knowledge about climate change.