Students’ alternative conceptions of tropical cyclone causes and processes

Abstract

While Shulman argues that an important component of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is teachers' understanding of the alternative conceptions commonly held by students, relatively little is known about what students believe about many topics in the school curriculum. This paper focuses on a content area typically featured in Geography curriculum as the first phase of a larger study designed to investigate Geography teachers' PCK. Common student conceptions of tropical cyclone causes and processes were identified using a variety of methods. Results indicate that secondary school Geography students (n = 339) hold a range of alternative conceptions related to foundational scientific principles as well as the geographical concepts of location, scale, spatial distribution, interactions and interdependence. Implications for the knowledge requirements of Geography teachers are discussed along with suggestions for future research.

Experienced geography teachers’ PCK of students’ ideas and beliefs about learning and teaching

“…"only America experiences cyclones"), biophysical interactions (e.g. "cyclones create tsunamis or are caused by earthquakes") and relationships between natural processes and human activities ("the main cause of death and injury is the wind"; "storm surge has little impact on coastal communities") (Lane & Coutts, 2012).…”

“…The study was, therefore, divided 46 R. Lane into three phases. Phase 1 (reported in Lane & Coutts, 2012) aimed to identify the commonly held alternative conceptions of tropical cyclone causes and processes held by 380 secondary geography students in 18 Sydney schools. Phase 2 focused on teachers.…”

“…The topic of tropical cyclone causes and processes, which is found within the new south wales (NSW) Stage 5 geography syllabus focus area: Investigating Australia's Physical Environments (5A1), was therefore selected as the context for this study. The case study was chosen for a number of reasons including: the large number of alternative conceptions held by both students and teachers in this topic area (see Lane, 2011;Lane & Coutts, 2012) and the rich potential source this topic provides for the development of PCK. It is important to note that at the time of data collection (mid 2008), Australia had a state-based curriculum structure with geography being taught as a discrete discipline in two of the seven states and territories.…”

“…Responses to the semi-structured interviews were transcribed and coded for evidence of the teachers' breadth and depth of knowledge of the common alternative conceptions held by students in this topic area (see Lane & Coutts, 2012). The researcher coded for awareness of two main categories of alternative conceptions.…”

Junior secondary school students' conceptions about plate tectonics

“…Research of this nature can inform professional development for teachers in effective implementation of geography curricula and evaluate instructional approaches. Some examples of how this paucity of research is being addressed include the identification of students' alternative conceptions about groundwater (Reinfried, 2006), cyclones (Lane & Coutts, 2012) and desertification (Schubert, 2014).…”