Elementary Pre-Service Teacher Perceptions of the Greenhouse Effect

Environmental issues are an important topic both in national news, and in science education. Previous studies revealed that students hold many misconceptions relating to such issues as global warming, ozone depletion, and acid rain. This article expands on earlier work by Boyes et al. to examine pre-service teachers' views about these issues, especially global warming and the related term, the greenhouse effect, and the effect of their views on elementary student performance. Results support the findings of Boyes et al. that elementary education majors hold many misconceptions about these environmental issues, and these can effect their teaching of these topics in elementary classes.