Comparing the Plate-tectonics-related Misconceptions of High School Students and University Undergraduates

Abstract

International research into the nature, emergence, and development of geographical misconceptions is substantial. However, Hungarian educational research lags behind in exploring this phenomenon in detail. The present study identified some plate-tectonics-related misconceptions of three distinctive groups of students: ninth-grade secondary school students as well as university undergraduates consisting of geography B.Sc. students and B.A. students. Employing a cross-case-based approach, multiple kinds of data were collected for triangulation. A three-part diagnostic test was administered to students, and results were evaluated by comparative content analysis. While culturally induced misconceptions were not present, mistakes in textbooks, the linguistic characteristics of the Hungarian language as well as extensive media coverage of certain topics and informal learning interfere in the emergence of geographical misconceptions. The authors argue that both secondary and tertiary education should move to a more practical and innovative pedagogy where geographical knowledge is organically anchored into everyday life with the direct refutation of possible misconceptions.