Middle school students’ conceptual understanding of earthquakes

¹ Graduate Student, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa Graduate School, Istanbul, Turkey
² Associate Professor, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa Hasan Ali Yucel Faculty of Education, Istanbul, Turkey

^* Corresponding author: fsavasci@istanbul.edu.tr; This study is a partial of the first author’s Master thesis.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate middle school students’ conceptual understandings of earthquakes. Data were collected by using Understanding Earthquakes Test [1] and semi-structured interviews. Participants were a total of 1024 middle school students from the fifth to the eighth grade studying at ten different schools in Istanbul. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty six students selected based on their test scores for three levels of understanding as high, middle, and low level. Findings of the current study indicated that students have lack conceptual understanding of earthquakes with many alternative conceptions. Students mostly from all grade levels seemed to have more scientific understanding in terms of protecting ways from earthquakes damage rather than explaining what earthquakes are and how earthquakes happen.