| Understanding topics such as plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes requires an understanding of the models geologists use to describe the Earth's interior. Despite the importance of this concept in the undergraduate geoscience curriculum, very little research related to this complex idea has been carried out by science education researchers. Student-generated drawings and interviews were used to probe student understanding of the Earth's interior. Ninety-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with non-science major college students enrolled in an entry-level geology course at a large Midwestern university. Students were asked to draw a picture of the Earth's interior and provide explanations of their drawings. The interviews and drawings indicate that students hold a number of alternative conceptions about the Earth. Students' understanding, or cognitive levels, ranged from simple views, such as the interior of the Earth consists of horizontal layers of rock and dirt, to complex views, e.g., the Earth's interior is composed of concentric layers with unique physical and chemical characteristics. Processes occurring within the Earth (such as "convection") were rarely mentioned and explained. These results provide a basis from which to further our understanding of college students thinking and will contribute to the body of knowledge and research on earth science misconceptions, conceptual development and conceptual change. |
