Conclusion
Our hypothesis was supported by our data in that few individuals approached the true scientific explanation and more surprisingly in fact, no one did. The data does show some pattern to the misconceptions. The most common explanations involve waves, water, clouds, or the atmosphere. Only two people out of the twenty nine interviewed mentioned atmospheric pressure as a possible explanation.
The responses from the younger children, God and water, aligned with our research. The teenagers were able to give more detail than the younger children, but their responses still show a lack of understanding and knowledge of the correct scientific explanation.
The adult responses were similar to the teenagers and aligned with what we expected in that few responses approached the scientific facts. The most interesting aspect of the interviewing process was the adults' surprise at their own difficulty in formulating a complete explanation.
So what does make the wind blow?
Our hypothesis was supported by our data in that few individuals approached the true scientific explanation and more surprisingly in fact, no one did. The data does show some pattern to the misconceptions. The most common explanations involve waves, water, clouds, or the atmosphere. Only two people out of the twenty nine interviewed mentioned atmospheric pressure as a possible explanation.
The responses from the younger children, God and water, aligned with our research. The teenagers were able to give more detail than the younger children, but their responses still show a lack of understanding and knowledge of the correct scientific explanation.
The adult responses were similar to the teenagers and aligned with what we expected in that few responses approached the scientific facts. The most interesting aspect of the interviewing process was the adults' surprise at their own difficulty in formulating a complete explanation.
So what does make the wind blow?
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We would like to thank the friendly people of Plymouth, England as without their cooperation this project would not have been possible. All the individuals involved consented for their video interview to be included in this study.
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