PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF VISUAL CUES ON STUDENT ANALYSIS OF A GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION CASE STUDY

Visual cues have been shown to play an important role in how students learn and recall information about Earth processes. In this pilot study, we have investigated the role of visual cues on students' ability to analyze a groundwater contamination case study. Ninth grade students (n = 47) where given a short multiple choice quiz to assess their basic content knowledge. This was immediately followed by their analysis of a case study involving the identification of the source of arsenic contamination in groundwater. The scenario provides students with background information on possible arsenic sources, including industrial processes, pressure treated lumber, and embalming fluids. The provided data shows an area of soil contamination and the resultant groundwater plume, but the source is varied between a factory, a lumber yard, and a church cemetery. Negative distracters, factories located in other areas, are included. Results show that while students, randomly distributed among three subsets, scored equally well on the multiple choice quiz, their response to identification of the source area varied by the visual cue supplied. Students given a map showing a factory located at the source area correctly identified the source area 46.7% of the time which compares well with the 53.5% average correct response on the multiple choice quiz. Students given the same map with a lumber yard or cemetery located at the source area, however, correctly identified the source area only 37.5% and 31.2% of the time, respectively. Feedback from the pilot study indicates some changes are need before a full scale study is completed. In particular, the role of negative distracters, in this case other factories shown on the map, may be important. Of those students not identifying the source area correctly, 86.7% identified another factory as the sources area. This might suggest that students' answers have been swayed by the negative distracter being a source that they commonly associate with pollution. A full scale study is planned for the 2007-2008 academic year.