20.500.12556/RUL-177279 Fourteen-year-old students’ understanding of problems related to microplastics in the environment In the Slovenian school system, the topic of microplastics is not included in the curriculum of science subjects such as science, biology, chemistry, physics, geography or environmental studies. Students encounter this topic only through optional activities, such as science days or field work, depending on individual teachers’ initiatives, or through informal education. This study aimed to investigate students’ understanding of microplastics in relation to their final grades in chemistry, biology, and physics, as well as their gender, personal interest, and self-esteem related to learning about this topic. A total of 279 lower secondary students (147 boys and 127 girls), all around 14 years old, took part in this quantitative research. Data was obtained using a four-tier achievement test together with a paper-based questionnaire. The results indicated that students with higher final grades in science subjects achieved significantly better scores on the test. Several misconceptions regarding microplastics were also identified. Moreover, students with greater individual interest and self-esteem for learning about microplastics scored significantly higher. No significant gender differences were found. The findings highlight the need to strengthen students’ understanding of microplastics-related environmental issues, suggesting that teachers should include this topic into science instruction even if it is not explicitly included in the national curriculum. microplastics misconceptions sustainability lower secondary school students razumevanje mikroplastike ocene naravoslovje srednješolsko izobraževanje okolje true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2025-12-19 11:05:19 2025-12-19 11:05:20 2026-01-07 12:43:52 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 17 str. iss. 24, art. 11139 Vol. 17 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 373.5:502 2071-1050 10.3390/su172411139 261545731 RAZ_Ribic_Luka_2025.pdf RAZ_Ribic_Luka_2025.pdf 1 23985CE5C8BD8113E458CFE6CFC8B62D e76a41380076eae110f43aaf82e94e943344fb85a661b4f0c67ed3965393c91c 685140bf-dcc3-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=224228 https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/24/11139 1 c8485f2c-dcc1-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=224223 Pedagoška fakulteta 0 0 0