An investigation into understanding of geological time among 10‐ and 11‐year‐old children

This research focused on the understanding of geological time among UK children aged 10 and 11 years. The empirical study, in two stages, involved a total of 189 children in activities designed to reveal knowledge and understanding of geological time. The preliminary study with 12 children was designed to identify the most powerful and appropriate techniques to use in the Main Study. It also resulted in some findings concerned with the place of deep time in children's conceptualization of Earth events. The Main Study, with 177 children, involved the sequencing of geological events in three separate but almost identical tasks. Results indicate that children of this age have a general awareness of major events such as the Ice Age and moving continents, but that a clear chronology is almost entirely lacking. Children conceive of events as falling into two distinct time zones: the ‘extremely ancient’ and the ‘less ancient’.