Students’ and public’s view about the transportation and spread of radiation

Radiation is a reality of our daily lives. we are exposed to radiation from natural and man-madesources during regular flow of our lives. the source of the radiation we are exposed to can varyfrom a substance near us to a source far from us. the aim of this research is to investigate theviews of students and public about the transportation and spread of radiation. the study group ofthe research included 90 students from derince anatolian imam hatip high school and and 33 parents and selected by systematic sampling method. the research was carried out in the 2013-2014 academic year. in this study, an open-ended questionnaire, developed by the researchers, wasused as a data collection tool. the questionnaire consisted of 30 items. the data obtained at theend of the research were analyzed by using frequency, percent, and descriptive analysis. accordingto the findings obtained in the study, it was shown that the students and public confused theconcepts of radiation and radioactivity; used those concepts interchangeably; and considered theman-made radiation sources as radioactive substances. in addition, it was found in this studythat people thought the substances exposed to radiation gain radioactive features and they alsothought that radiation would accumulate in the structure of that substances in time.