Cultural context and the development of students’ naïve and scientific knowledge: an example from volcanic processes

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ABSTRACT Despite extensive research on naïve knowledge/conceptions, few studies examine the socio-economic and cultural influence of students, particularly their perceptual experience, on knowledge construction. This study explores how students’ everyday environment shapes their understanding, using embodied cognition, analogy, and knowledge development, including naïve knowledge. It investigates factors influencing students’naïve and scientific knowledge of volcanic processes and risks, focusing on socio-economic and cultural status, and life experiences related to volcanoes and earthquakes (perceptual experience, social environment, school learning). It examines the extent to which these forms of knowledge are shared or differ based on these factors. Conducted among 1,059 Tanzanian students (832 in secondary schools) from two geologically distinct regions exposed to different levels of risk but following the same school curriculum, the study employs a questionnaire-based approach and statistical analysis. Results show that certain perceptual experiences linked to students’ interactions with their daily environment influence the activation of specific naïve knowledge. When perceptual experiences are widely shared, students’ naïve knowledge tends to be similar; conversely, when such experiences are less shared due to differing material and cultural contexts, naïve knowledge are expressed in more varied ways. These differences highlight the potential impact of some pedagogical approaches based on perceptual experience.