Studies of the development of students' understanding of ecological phenomena

Following an intensive debate on the advisability of building a refuse disposal unit in the town of Kristianstad, Sweden, local people started to discuss what would happen to the residue from refuse incineration. From the debate it was evident that there was limited knowledge of what actually happens to refuse in general. Many thought that the matter would disappear, except for a small residue of ash. There was, in many cases, no recognition of the existence of waste gas. Most people found it difficult to realize that all matter still existed after combustion. This became a challenge for us as teachers and teacher educators. Is not this a kind of knowledge that citizens should acquire at school?