Commentary: A Summary and Analysis of Twenty-Seven Years of Geoscience Conceptions Research

Abstract

Seventy-nine studies in geoscience conceptions appeared in peer-reviewed publications in English from 1982 through July 2009. Summaries of the 79 studies suggest certain recurring themes across subject areas: issues with terms, scale (temporal and spatial), role of prior experience, and incorrect application of everyday knowledge to geoscience phenomena. The majority of studies reviewed were descriptive and employed only one method of data collection and response type. Eleven-fourteen-year-olds and university undergraduates were most commonly represented in the samples. A small percentage of studies of geoscience conceptions of K-12 students made reference to standards documents or a curriculum as justification for the research design. More directed descriptive studies, along with greater parity between descriptive and intervention studies is needed. Greater attention to developmental theories of concept acquisition, national standards documents, and intersection with cognitive science literature are warranted.