Misconceptions found in Natural Resources & Environment in Class 9 students.

1. Student Misconception Series – Science (Part 8)

2. Do your Student Learn or Mug up ? Students of all ages seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to responding to any situation or performing any task. As teachers, most of us go back home thinking that our students have understood every concept that we teach them. It is only when we test them that we find that some concepts have not been understood as clearly as they should have been. It is this desire to understand student thinking that prompted us to examine ASSET questions of the past rounds, in Science, examining the most common wrong answers to understand what could have made students select the options they did.

3. Natural Resources & Environment Class 9

5. Why was the Question asked? In present times, it is important for individuals to be aware of the impact various substances have on the environment. This question was asked to test whether students are aware of the reasons for which CNG has been chosen as a 'greener' fuel for automobiles. 2. What did students answer? 23% of students answered correctly whereas 46% chose option D, a wrong answer. Possible reason for choosing A: Students know that CNG is being used as a safer alternative to petrol and diesel to reduce air pollution, and so, they probably believe that it does not emit carbon dioxide on combustion. Students' beliefs about carbon dioxide should be investigated as they might believe that carbon dioxide in any percentage is harmful for the environment. Possible reason for choosing C: Students are probably making a random guess. Some may be equating the fact that CNG is considered 'clean' to 'renewable'. Possible reason for choosing D: Students have probably heard that CNG is an environmentally friendly fuel and hence think that CNG has all the properties that have been mentioned in all the options

6. 3. Learnings • It is surprising to see that a majority of these students seem to believe that CNG is a renewable source of energy! Either their understanding of renewable sources of energy is flawed or they think that CNG can be replenished easily in nature. Even if students are not aware of the features that make CNG an environmentally friendly fuel, they should be able to eliminate the options A, C and D based on their prior knowledge (that CNG is a fossil fuel, and would be based on hydrocarbons). • Option A can be eliminated as students should know that during combustion of any hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide is given out. Options C and D can be easily eliminated as students should know that CNG is NOT a renewable source of energy. • However, only 22% of the students are choosing the correct option B in this question. In a world where global warming is a growing concern, environmental awareness is extremely important among students. They should be aware of what may contribute to this effect and also should be aware of the necessary preventive measures. By this level, they should have a basic understanding of the types of energy sources as well as the nature of different fuels and power sources used in machines around us.

7. 4. How do we handle this? Students should be aware that a renewable source of energy is replenished by nature itself, whereas non-renewable sources of energy are limited and will eventually run out as they take millions of years to be formed. Give students a list of various sources of energy and ask them to categorize them into renewable and non-renewable sources of energy giving reasons as in the table alongside. Students should be asked to point out HOW the resources are replenished in the environment. A discussion on this topic will help clear up any confusion that the students may have. Discuss among students why CNG, in spite of being a non-renewable source of energy, has been promoted as a fuel. Ask them to compare CNG against other fossil fuels like petrol. Guide them towards understanding that the emissions from fuels are a major cause for an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Discuss the subsequent effects. Students should be aware of the consequences of global warming.

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