本研究採用個別晤談法來探究我國國小學童對空氣之相關認知;晤談對象乃來自大台北地區城、鄉暨偏遠地區三所國民小學的二、四、六年級學童,每校每年級六人,一共五十四位學童接受晤談。研究結果顯示二年級學童即有九成以上具有「空氣是無色無味的氣體」、「空氣到處都有」以及「空氣佔有空間」的初步概念,而學童對於「空氣佔有空間」概念的更深入瞭解和「空氣流動成風」、「空氣壓力的存在」、「空氣加熱則上升」、「空氣中有水蒸氣的存在」、「不同的氣體具有不同的重量」概念的學習成果則隨著年級的增加而有所提昇;「空氣遇熱膨脹,遇冷收縮」概念對學童的學習是難度最高的,其次則是「不同的氣體具有不同的重量」、「空氣中有水蒸氣的存在」和「空氣流動成風」。學童最熟悉的氣體還是氧氣和二氧化碳,六年級學童雖有較高的比例可以說明這二種氣體的製造與檢驗法,然而多偏重在呼吸作用、光合作用、助燃性與否的探討,能提出以生活周邊易取得的化學物質來製造、檢驗氣體的僅有五名。又唯有六年級生對「空氣中包含有許多不同的氣體」和「氣體量的比較」有較清楚的認識。同時,研究者也依據晤談整理結果研擬了空氣相關重要概念的建議學習年段。
Fifty-four elementary school students were interviewed to investigate their conceptions about air. The interviewees were 2nd, 4th and 6th graders from three elementary schools in the Taipei area, which were located in an urban, suburban, and rural area respectively. The study results showed that more than ninety percent students from grade 2 held the concepts of ”air is colorless and odorless”, ”air is all around us,” and the incipient idea of ”air occupies space”. From grade 2 to grade 6 the proportion of students with the concepts of ”wind is formed when air moves”, ”air exerts pressure”, ”hot air goes upward”, ”water vapor exists in air”, ”gas has its own weight” and the further understanding on ”air occupies space” increased. Among the target concepts, ”air expands when encountering heat,” and it shrinks when cooled ”was the hardest for the students to learn, and the following were ”gas has its own weight”, ”water vapor exists in air” and ”wind is formed when air moves”. Oxgen and Carbon dioxide were the most familiar gases to the 4th and 6th graders. More students from grade 6 could illustrate how to produce and identify these two gases, however most of them paid particular stress on respiration, photosynthesis and whether it could facilitate burning. Based on the research results, the appropriate learning graders for these target concepts were suggested and educational implications were provided.