Date of Award
Spring 5-18-2024
Document Type
Honors Project
University Scholars Director
Joshua Tom
First Advisor/Committee Member
Lisa M. Goodhew
Keywords
climate change, education, conceptual resources, African students
Abstract
This study examines how students at a Rwandan high school understand phenomena related to the fundamental physics of Earth's climate, with a specific emphasis on the effects of solar radiation and energy. We conducted ten interviews with students in high school science classes in Bugesera district, Rwanda. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and (when necessary) translated from Kinyarwanda to English. Transcripts were analyzed through the lens of the resources theoretical framework, a constructivist theory that models science learning as activating, connecting, and refining "seeds of science," or conceptual resources, that are already available in the minds of learners." Our study uncovers two primary students’ ideas that are useful for making sense of the physics of climate change: (1) direct sunlight heats water, land, and objects, and (2) the sun causes evaporation. These findings suggest that students have fruitful ideas that instructors can use to help students construct sophisticated understandings of the physics of climate change.
Recommended Citation
Mutesi, Esther, "Rwandan High School Students' Productive ideas About How the Sun Affects Earth's Climate" (2024). Honors Projects. 235.
https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/honorsprojects/235
Copyright Status
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Additional Rights Information
Copyright held by author.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
