Children's Meteorology. Children's Understanding of Weather in Different Parts of the World
Abstract
The article characterizes children's assessment of weather conditions in different parts of the country and the world. The aim of the study was to determine children's competence in evaluating weather conditions and their ability to predict weather in other parts of the world, in relation to the current weather in their place of residence. The research was conducted among 42 children (21 children aged 6/7 years and 21 students aged 9/10 years). It was a qualitative research. The interview method was used, during which children coded the weather (by means of a series of pictures) they watched on a computer screen (in their place of residence), and on this basis they drew conclusions about the weather in the places shown on the map of the country and on the globe. In the presentation of the results, the weather in Szczecin, Warsaw and Rzeszów was characterised, as well as in Asia, Africa, Australia, on the poles and on the island of Tahiti. Children's weather forecasts for winter and summer were compared separately. Attention was paid to differences in indications of weather conditions in relation to age (6- and 9-year-old children). It turned out that 30% of the respondents (mainly preschool children) perceive the seasons as a phenomenon in which weather differences are already visible on a national scale. The South Pole is rated by children as the coldest place on Earth. The sources of children's knowledge were analysed and possible reasons for misconceptions were identified.
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