Children's ideas about the water cycle

Abstract

Research (SP ACE Project, Russell et al, 1992) shows that children hold many alternative frameworks about scientific phenomena; among them the water cycle, particularly the concepts of evaporation and condensation. It is well known that from a young age, and prior to any teaching and learning of formal science, children develop meanings for many words used in science teaching and views of the world which relate to ideas taught in science (Driver et al, 1994). Different studies within various domains of science show how children's ideas vary and sometimes contradict the scientific views. This research focuses on the exploration of the ideas held by local primary school children on two important concepts in the water cycle: evaporation and condensation and how these ideas vary across different ages dividing the primary years. These two concepts were also researched by Russell and Watt (1990) in their Pilot phase of their research within the SP ACE project. Ten questions, similar to those used by the Primary SP ACE Project (Russell and Watt, 1990), were used to elicit children's ideas about evaporation and condensation. Older children had more ideas that are coherent with the scientific view of the water cycle and elaborated on their answers. Younger children answered the questions from their own experiences and from the perception they have as to what happens around them. It was concluded that all the children have their own interpretations and explanations for the concepts of evaporation and condensation, and these ideas tend to be more elaborated and close to the scientific view of the older children. Recommendations are given to enable the children to develop, understand and embrace the scientific explanations for the water cycle.