Radon testing: A study of scitech and life science students' environmental knowledge and attitudes.

摘要

Environmental education is aimed at producing a citizenry that is knowledgeable concerning the biophysical environmental and its associated problems, aware of how to help solve those problems, and motivated to work toward their solution. The purpose of this study was to determine if exposure to an environmental activity such as radon testing in the home had any effects on middle and high school students' general environmental knowledge and attitudes, and if these effects were retained beyond the actual science curriculum unit. Additionally, the study examined student-to-student transferability of general environmental knowledge and attitudes.; The study incorporated actual data gathering about radon levels in the students' homes using E-Perm containers which collect the alpha daughter particles emitted in the decay process on electrically charged plates that can be measured in the classroom for immediate feedback of results. The students also learned about topographic mapping, as the altitude of their homes was incorporated into their calculations.; Once the high school students tested their own homes, one section conducted the same radon project with seventh grade students. The high school students presented factual information, explained the importance of the project, topographically mapped the seventh grade students' homes, explained the data gathering procedures, lectured about radon, participated in a debate with them, listened to poster presentations, and demonstrated the proper usage of the E-perm containers. The other section of high school students served as a similar group control for comparison of the statistical results on environmental knowledge and attitude of the older students being the instructor of the younger ones.; Twenty-seven Junior and Senior level students and eighty-four seventh grade students attending a private, college preparatory school participated in the study. Findings of the study suggest there is not a linear relationship between the teaching of environmental knowledge and the formation of positive attitudes about the environment; however, gender and the age of the student did seem to have a significant effect upon the formation of these positive attitudes.