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What are students' mental models of the environment? In what ways, if any, do students' mental models vary by grade level or community setting? These two questions guided the research reported in this article. The Environments Task was administered to students from 25 different teacher-classrooms. The student responses were first inductively analyzed in order to identify students' mental models of the environment. The second phase of analysis involved the statistical testing of the identified mental models. From this analysis four mental models emerged: Model 1, the environment as a place where animals/plants live-a natural place; Model 2, the environment as a place that supports life; Model 3, the environment as a place impacted or modified by human activity; and Model 4, the environment as a place where animals, plants, and humans live. The dominant mental model was Mental Model 1. Yet, a greater frequency of urban students than suburban and rural students held Mental Model 3. The implications to environmental science education are explored. ß

The purpose of this study was to examine third-grade students' ideas about the lunar phases prior to and following an instructional period designed to promote students' conceptual change. Four third-grade students enrolled in an elementary school near a large midwestern university participated in this study. Qualitative methods of interviewing and observation were used to identify students' conceptions of the lunar phases. Analytical induction was used to analyze data collected in the forms of researcher notes and transcriptions of audio-and videotaped interviews and lessons. The results of this study indicated that students held individual views that were scientifically accurate; however, they also held conceptions that were scientifically inaccurate. In addition, the results demonstrate that students are capable of making conceptual changes; however, they also continued to hold views that were inconsistent with the scientific perspective.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate students' conceptions of the greenhouse effect, global warming, and climate change. The study was descriptive in nature and reflected a cross-age design involving the collection of qualitative data from 51 secondary students from three different schools in the Midwest, USA. These data were analyzed for content in an inductive manner to identify student's conceptions. The categories that emerged from the students' responses reflected different degrees of sophistication of students' conceptions about the greenhouse effect, global warming, and climate change. Based on these findings we make curricular recommendations that build on the students' conceptions, the IPCC Findings, the NRC (1996) science education standards, and NOAA's climate literacy framework.

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ABSTRACT:The purpose of this study was to investigate students' conceptions about watersheds. Specifically: (1) What are students' conceptions of a watershed? and (2) In what ways might students' conceptions vary by grade level and community setting? This study was descriptive in nature and reflected a cross-age design involving the collection of qualitative data from 915 students from the Midwest, United States. These qualitative data were analyzed for their content in an inductive manner, identifying student's conceptions. This content analysis was followed with a statistical analysis to determine the significance in the frequency of the identified student conceptions. Four categories emerged that reflected these students' conceptions. Based on these findings, we make curricular recommendations that build on the students' conceptions, the watershed concept, and the National Research