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't understood correctly.
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