The ideas of Greek high school students about the ?ozone layer?

Greek high school students between the ages of 11 and 16 have been questioned about their perception of the ozone layer. In particular, they were asked what and where they think it is, what it does, what will damage it, and what might be the result of any further damage. The ideas of 1161 students were investigated using a closed-form questionnaire which had been devised after interviews with a smaller group. This questionnaire was used previously in a study involving over 1700 students in the UK. From the results of the present study, it appears that Greek high school students have a good understanding of the position and purpose of the ozone layer in terms of protection from harmful ultraviolet rays, but some also think that it helps keep the world warm or protects it from acid rain. Students seem aware that the ozone layer is in danger, and they believe that many varied forms of pollution are the cause. It seems well known that further depletion might cause an increase in skin cancers and eye cataracts, although students assumed strong, erroneous, links with the greenhouse effect and other forms of local pollution, particularly those associated with illness and disease. The results of the factor analysis, which explores themes in student thinking, would appear to be consistent with a previous hypothesis that objects acquire their meaning from the actions we apply or attribute to them. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 83:724–737, 1999.