A Study of Junior High Students' Perceptions of the Water Cycle

TLDR

The study reflects a traditional disciplinary approach to teaching water, where students view underground water as static sub‑surface lakes. The study explored junior high students’ perceptions of the water cycle and highlighted the need for further research into their cyclic‑systems thinking and development of related activities. Researchers surveyed 1,000 junior high students from six urban Israeli schools using specially designed quantitative and qualitative tools. Students grasp many hydro‑bio‑geological processes but lack a dynamic, cyclic, systemic view of the water cycle, hold preconceptions, focus on atmospheric components while neglecting groundwater, and view underground water as static lakes, reflecting the traditional curriculum.

Abstract

This study explored junior high school students' perceptions of the water cycle. The study sample included 1,000 junior high school students (7th–9th grades) from six urban schools, in Israel. The data collection was based on a series of quantitative and qualitative research tools that were specifically developed for this study.The findings indicated that the students understand various hydro-bio-geological processes, but most of them lack the dynamic, cyclic, and systemic perceptions of the system. Moreover, they possessed an incomplete picture of the water cycle including many preconceptions and misconceptions about it. Most of the sample population studied were aware of the atmospheric part of the water cycle, but ignored its groundwater part. Moreover, those who included part of the underground system in the water cycle perceived the underground water as static, sub-surface lakes.It is suggested that the findings reflect the traditional disciplinary approach of the dealing with subject of water in the science curricula. This study also implies the need for further research about the cognitive abilities of junior high students to deal with cyclic-systems thinking, and the need to explore activities that might develop or stimulate such abilities.