Quantitative experiments to explain change of seasons

The science education literature shows that students have difficulty understanding what causes the seasons. Incorrect explanations are often due to a lack of knowledge about the physical mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. To address this, we present a module in which the students engage in quantitative measurements with a photovoltaic panel to explain changes to the sunray flow on Earth’s surface over the year. The activities also provide examples of energy transfers between the incoming radiation and the environment to introduce basic features of Earth’s climate. The module was evaluated with 45 secondary school students (aged 17–18) and a pre-/posttest research design. Analysis of students’ learning outcomes supports the effectiveness of the proposed activities.