COMMUNICATING SCIENCE VIA TEXTBOOKS: WHAT TERMS DO STUDENTS RECOGNIZE AS GEOLOGIC?

Introductory geology textbooks include a large number of new vocabulary terms, but beyond the glossary words, are students able to recognize terms that have a specific geologic meaning? To answer this question, we chose 18 sample statements from four common introductory geology textbooks. We asked two groups of introductory students (n=34) to review nine statements each and identify geological, scientific, and technical words. To analyze the data, we coded all words that have a particular geologic meaning and grouped these terms into three categories: 1) glossary words (e.g. lithosphere, dike); 2) common words that are part of the English lexicon but have specific geological meanings (e.g. intrude, structure); and 3) general scientific or mathematical words (e.g. buoyant, mass). Of the total 598 words in the selected statements, we coded 251 (42%) to have a particular geologic meaning. Note that these statements were selected because of their particular use of vocabulary, and the textbooks overall likely do not reflect such a high proportion of terms per sentence. Of the 251 words identified, we coded 60% as glossary words, 32% as common words with a geologic meaning, and 8% as general science or math terms. Students identified an average of 143 words (24%). In contrast to the coding by the authors, of the 143 words students circled, 74% were glossary words, and 17% were common words with a geologic meaning. Therefore, in answer to our question, we found that students were much less likely to identify common terms that have a specific geologic meaning. This finding is problematic because the geologic definitions are different than their customary meanings, and novices may not have the experience or knowledge to recognize their dual meanings, potentially causing misunderstanding and misconceptions. This study highlights a deeper problem of how information is communicated in textbooks, particularly when it comes to vocabulary. Understanding the meaning of words is essential to processing information in texts, but if the words are difficult to identify, how do we know student understand their specific, geological meaning?