Nicole Smock

Misconceptions Interview
The topic at hand for this misconceptions interview was the cause of the seasons on
Earth. I believe that this is an interesting topic because it was a misconception that I held for the
longest time. It was not until my junior year in college that I discovered the truth behind the
cause of the seasons on Earth. The cause of the seasons is due to the tilt of the axis that goes
from top to bottom of planet Earth (Leon, 2013). The tilted axis always points in the same
direction for the entire year that it takes Earth to orbit the Sun (Leon, 2013). Because of the tilt
and the orbit of Earth around the Sun, the Suns rays directly hit Earth at different locations
throughout the year (Leon, 2013). It is possible to use the Northern Hemisphere as an example
to show the change in seasons throughout the year. In the Northern Hemisphere it is summer in
June because the Suns rays directly hit that area the most at the point in the year (Leon, 2013).
In the Northern Hemisphere it is winter in December because the South Pole is tilted its most
towards the Sun at that point in time and experiences summer then (Leon, 2013).
Anna is a fourth grade student in a local elementary school and was chosen as the
participant for this misconception interview. Anna is nine years old and is a student who excels
in science. Annas favorite subject in school is science because she loves to conduct
experiments. She explained that she would really enjoy being a science teacher when she gets
older. Not only does Anna love science and excel in it, she has a strong science background.
Annas mom is in charge of the science curriculum for Rockingham county public schools. Her
mom also teaches at James Madison University as a chemistry lecture and lab professor. Anna
explained that her mother has always helped her with her school work, and especially took an

interest in the science work that Anna was doing in school. With the science background that
Anna has and her ability to excel in the subject, it was expected that she would respond in the
interview with the correct explanation for the cause of the seasons on Earth.
After posing several questions about Annas interests in science and about her science
background, the interview moved to the direction of the misconception topic. Anna was first
asked if she had learned about the seasons before in school, in which she replied, I have learned
about the seasons a lot before (A. Jones, personal communication, September 17th, 2014). After
being asked to describe her understanding of the different seasons she stated that winter was for
snow, spring was for blossoms, summer was for trees, and that she didnt know about fall (A.
Jones, personal communication, September 17th, 2014). After being asked to describe the
varying temperatures of Virginia in relation to the different seasons she stated that winter was
cold, summer was hot, and both spring and fall have middle temperatures (A. Jones, personal
communication, September 17th, 2014). After hearing her initial understanding and thoughts
regarding the seasons she was asked what she believed was the cause of the seasons. Initially
she looked confused and unsure of herself, but after she was told that it was okay to think about
it for a few minutes she became more confident. Anna initially stated, Earth has seasons
because it rotates around the sun (A. Jones, personal communication, September 17th, 2014).
After stating that thought out loud, she said never mind and went on to say, Really the Earth has
seasons because of the Sun (A. Jones, personal communication, September 17th, 2014). She
stated when Earth is really close to the sun it is really warm on Earth (A. Jones, personal
communication, September 17th, 2014). Based on this fact, she said, When Earth is really close
to the Sun it is summer and when Earth was super far from the Sun it is winter (A. Jones,
personal communication, September 17th, 2014). After coming to this conclusion, Anna was

asked why there is a spring and a fall, and how they relate to her theory of why there are seasons
on Earth. Anna could not come up with a further explanation that took spring and fall into
consideration, instead she stated, Spring and fall occur because there has to be seasons in the
middle of summer and winter (A. Jones, personal communication, September 17th, 2014). This
statement illuminates the second step of conceptual change, promoting dissatisfaction, because
Anna realized she was unable to answer the question logically. At this point in the interview
Anna seemed to be getting restless and ready to move on to another topic, so the interview was
ended at this point.
Like most people who have been interviewed about this science topic, Anna provided
evidence of having a misconception about the cause of the seasons on Earth; thus, the first step in
conceptual change, identifying the misconception, is evident here. Similar to many Americans
of varying ages, Anna stated that the cause of the seasons was the close proximity of the Earth to
the Sun at different points of the year. Based on this misconception, summer occurs when the
Earth is closest to the Sun and winter occurs when the Earth is farthest from the Sun. As seen
above, this is not the cause of the seasons and it is in fact the tilt of Earths axis instead; the Earth
is an equal distance away from the Sun during the entire year long revolution (Leon, 2013).
Although Anna shows an understanding of the importance of the Sun and its relation to the
seasons, she assumes that the Sun is not at the complete center of Earths orbit throughout the
year. Her answer would be more correct if she discussed how the Suns rays were stronger when
they were directly shining on a specific location. In turn, the direct contact of the Suns rays on
that area would cause it to be the hottest time of the year and would be classified as that areas
summer season.

Anna is considered to be in the concrete operational stage of Piagets Theory of

Cognitive Development. During this stage the child begins to think more logically and is able to
apply logic to certain physical objects and situations (McLeod, 2010). Anna is able to reason
through her explanation for the Earth having seasons, but she does not correctly analyze the most
logical answer because she does not have a physical object or situation in front of her. If Anna
had an accurate physical representation of the Earth and the Sun in front of her, she might have
been able to use her logic and come up with the correct answer. By looking at a physical
representation of the orbit she would notice that the Earth is the same distance away from the
Sun at every point during the orbit. Because she was imagining and reasoning this concept in her
head, she was not able to further her logical thought past the concrete operational stage.
The misconceptions that were present in this interview need to be touched upon during an
instructional lesson. Although Anna was close to being on the right track to answer the topic
question correctly, she never actually showed a true understanding of why the Earth has seasons.
Because of this, it is necessary to teach this concept as a whole in order to provide for a complete
understanding as to why the Earth has seasons. One lesson that could be done to dissolve this
misconception in the classroom would be to do a hands-on lesson where all of the students are up
and out of their seats. After making sure the students understand that the Earth rotates on its axis
one time per day and makes one revolution around the Sun once a year, the students will be
ready to move on to the orbital pattern. There will be one object in the center of the classroom
that will be the Sun. Each of the students will make a circle around the Sun and will pretend
to be the Earth. The students will stick out their arms pretending to create the Earths axis and
will demonstrate the Earths tilt by leaning more towards one direction. The teacher will
demonstrate how the Earth rotates on its axis while still being tilted. The teacher will then be

able to walk through the seasons for the different regions of the year in relation to the Suns rays.
This will allow the students to see a hands-on example of what the Earth likes as it rotates on its
axis and revolves around the sun; thus, the third step of conceptual change, presenting real
science through investigation, is evident through this activity. A constructivist would agree with
this instructional plan because this activity makes sure that the students are actively engaged.
The students will be up and out of their seats, which will foster more student-to-student and
student-to-teacher interactions. Also, a constructivist would agree with this instructional plan
because the students will be able to receive the key information through moving and being Earth
models themselves, while constructing their own knowledge at the same time. This will overall
incorporate the fourth step of conceptual change, allowing opportunities for application, because
the students will understand the concept better and be able to use it to further their knowledge
about the seasons and climate on Earth.
Overall, the misconceptions interview illuminates the fact that topics such as the cause of
the seasons on Earth are not understood correctly. The misconceptions that are found in science
need to be touched upon in the elementary classroom in order to make sure that the future 21st
century students are able to reach their full potential as scientists.

Works Cited
Leon, Nancy. (2013, February 13). What causes the seasons? Retrieved from
http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/seasons/en/
McLeod, Saul. (2010). Concrete Operational Stage. Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/concrete-operational.html