Analysis of students’ perceptions on the concepts of solar influence and atmospheric fluctuation phenomena for climate change prediction

This study investigated students’ understanding on the concepts of solar influence and the effects on atmospheric fluctuation phenomena for climate change prediction. This study adopted the descriptive design, 400 students were randomly selected from three tertiary institutions in Ondo West LGA, Ondo State. A validated Questionnaire (Cronbach coefficient was 0.96) were used to collect data for the study. Three research hypotheses and one research question were tested, and data were analyzed using Descriptive statistics and T-test. Having analyzed the data, the major findings reveal that students have a general perception on solar influence on climate change and that the level of atmospheric awareness of climate variability and climate change was significantly high. Also, it was observed that the incorporation of solar radiation as a topic into the school curriculum will improve student’s cognitive ability. It is therefore recommended that the profile and awareness of the atmosphere through appropriate communication channels like publication of articles on climate and solar radiation should be encouraged in schools. Also, there should be availability of weather station with appropriate meteorological instrument to measure elements of climate such as rain gauge for rainfall, wind vane for measuring the direction of wind, maximum thermometer to check the highest temperature and minimum thermometer to check the minimum temperature reached in the atmosphere, barometer for measuring atmospheric pressure and so on.