Abstract

One of the intrinsic values of Geography education is to inspire students to understand the world around them so that they can explain how and why certain geographical phenomena occurand how they should respond to them. However, teachers often realize that the requirements of the Hungarian educational system do not seem to be harmonized very well with the cognitive development of children. Similar to other subjects, Geography is crammed with too much information which is taught too early. As a result, children often provide incorrect, non-scientific explanations when asked to explain certain geographical concepts. Faulty reasoning may indicate that our pupils have misconceptions. In our research, we aim at isolating climate-related misconceptions, determining their nature, and finding those sources of geographical information which may result in the formation of misconceptions. Convenience sampling was carried out in 2012 and 2013 with the participation of a total of 576 pupils and students, and the present study focuses on the analysis of grade 3 and grade 11 pupils and students. Our results suggest that geographical concepts introduced too early in the curriculum may result in misconceptions that are difficult to change later. Also, as teachers, we have to strive to ensure that our students internalize basic geographical information in a way that this information remains anchored in everyday life and helps students make responsible decisions concerning their own lives, and the life of their communities.

Megjelent: Földrajzi Közlemények 2018. 142. 3. pp. 219–234.