iStarDB (The Astronomy Education Research Repository)
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An Undergraduate Research Experience on Studying Variable Stars
No full textWe describe and evaluate a summer undergraduate research project and experience by one of us (AA), under the supervision of the other (JP). The aim of the project was to sample current approaches to analyzing variable star data, and topics related to the study of Mira variable stars and their astrophysical importance. This project was done through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) in astronomy at the University of Toronto. SURP allowed undergraduate students to explore and learn about many topics within astronomy and astrophysics, from instrumentation to cosmology. SURP introduced students to key skills which are essential for students hoping to pursue graduate studies in any scientific field. Variable stars proved to be an excellent topic for a research project. For beginners to independent research, it introduces key concepts in research such as critical thinking and problem solving, while illuminating previously learned topics in stellar physics. The focus of this summer project was to compare observations with structural and evolutionary models, including modelling the random walk behavior exhibited in the (O-C) diagrams of most Mira stars. We found that the random walk could be modelled by using random fluctuations of the period. This explanation agreed well with observations
Applicability of the Newtonian gravity concept inventory to introductory college physics classes
No full textThe study described here extends the applicability of the Newtonian Gravity Concept Inventory (NGCI) to college algebra-based physics classes, beyond the general education astronomy courses for which it was originally developed. The four conceptual domains probed by the NGCI (Directionality, Force Law, Independence of Other Forces, and Threshold) are well suited for investigating students’ reasoning about gravity in both populations, making the NGCI a highly versatile instrument. Classical test theory statistical analysis with physics student responses preinstruction (N=1,392) and post-instruction (N=929) from eight colleges and universities across the United States indicate that the NGCI is composed of items with appropriate difficulty and discrimination and is reliable for this population. Also, expert review and student interviews support the NGCI’s validity for the physics population. Emergent similarities and differences in
how physics students reason about gravity compared to astronomy students are discussed, as well as future directions for analyzing the instrument’s item parameters across both populations
Astronomy In The Initial Formation Of Sciences Teachers
No full textAlthough astronomy is considered one of the older sciences of mankind, its teaching in basic education is facing problems. It is the school responsibility the dissemination of correct scientific concepts, including those related to Astronomy. This study was conducted at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Santa Catarina, Campus Araranguá. In this article, we aimed to present the activities developed to help the formation of teachers, training undergraduate students in Natural Sciences with specialization in Physics to contribute to the dissemination and improvement of the teaching-learning of Astronomy. This paper presents the process and results of the evaluation of that training program. Analyses of the activity from the perspective of the participants are indicated and additional considerations are made regarding its use as a resource for teaching Astronomy and for teacher training
Implementing a Studio-based Flipped Classroom in a First Year Astronomy Course
No full textWe present a case study of the rapid transformation of a first year astronomy unit from a traditional lecture/laboratory teaching approach to an entirely studio-based flipped teaching approach. Our Physics and Astronomy Collaborative Environment (PACE) studios at the School of Physics and Astronomy at Monash University were designed along the lines of SCALE-UP approach, with the pedagogy adapted to suit our unit. In this paper, we outline the design, early evaluation, and impacts of this transformation. In terms of content knowledge learning gain, we achieved a 0.41 mean gain with a 0.19 standard deviation on a custom hybrid concept inventory, mirroring the high gains seen in other highly interactive physics and astronomy courses. This study shows that a studio-based approach to tertiary introductory astronomy can be viable and successful. We also achieved a significant reduction in overall failure rates from 11-15% between 2012-2014 to 4% in 2015, which we hope is the result of a better student engagement. We will continue to measure effectiveness of our teaching approach and how it reflects on our students’ learning gains and success
The Relationship between Preservice Science Teachers' Attitude toward Astronomy and Their Understanding of Basic Astronomy Concepts
No full textTurkish preservice science teachers have been taking a two-credit astronomy class during the last semester of their undergraduate program since 2010. The current study aims to investigate the relationship between preservice science teachers' astronomy misconceptions and their attitudes toward astronomy. Preservice science teachers were given an Astronomy Attitude Test and a conceptual test at the beginning of their astronomy course. Three students from each of three attitude levels (low, medium, and high) were selected for interviews and asked to explain their conceptual test responses in depth. Generally, low-attitude students had more misconceptions and gave non-scientific, low-level explanations, whereas middle- and high-attitude students gave more scientific explanations. The results suggest that students develop negative attitudes about a subject in which they lack knowledge
Expectations Of Students About Astronomy In High School
No full textCurrent literature reports that the astronomy education is motivating and interesting for basic
education, but the content suggested by the national curriculum guidelines do not seem to attract students
and teachers in order to transcend the discipline of Science in the elementary School or Physics in High
School. By applying a questionnaire to 80 students of High School and participants of Brazilian Olympiad of Astronomy and Astronautics of two schools of São Paulo state, we obtained results that indicate that astronomy topics that really motivate students are topics linked to science fiction and current research, which are the subject of extensive media release and have a strong interdisciplinary character
Evaluation Of The Transfer Of Permanent Formation: Analysis Of An Experience Of Workshops On Astronomy
No full textIn the framework of a European project to bring astronomy near to children, several permanent teachers training activities were developed. These actions included workshops with teachers from various stages of the educational system. This paper presents the process and results of the evaluation of that training program. It intends to assess the satisfaction of the participants, as well as their learning and their later transfer of formation to the classroom. Barriers encountered in the transfer of formation, some of them linked to the type of training method chosen and other factors derived from personal and institutional conditions, are outlined. Finally, some guidelines for improving the transfer of scientific formation to the classroom in the future are pointed out
Women’s and men’s career choices in astronomy and astrophysics
No full text[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Gender in Physics.] The Longitudinal Study of Astronomy Graduate Students (LSAGS) arose from the 2003 Women in Astronomy Conference, where it was noted that a majority of young members of the American Astronomical Society were women. The astronomy community wishes to make every effort to retain young women in astronomy, so they commissioned a longitudinal study to be conducted that would pinpoint the factors that contribute to retention in general, with a focus on differences between women and men. The LSAGS follows a cohort of people who were graduate students in astronomy or astrophysics during 2006–07. The first survey was conducted during 2007–08 and the second during 2012–13. The analysis presented in this paper used a subset of the respondents, all of whom had Ph.D.s in astronomy, astrophysics, or a related field at the time of the second survey. We tested the effects of four major concepts on two measures of attrition from physics and astronomy. These concepts included the imposter syndrome, mentoring and advising during graduate school, the “two-body problem” that occurs when a couple needs to find two jobs in the same geographic area, and the sex of the respondent. While the imposter syndrome and mentoring affected the likelihood of respondents’ thinking about leaving the field, they did not directly contribute to actually working in a field that was not physics or astronomy. Relationship with graduate advisors and the two-body problem both had significant effects on working in physics or astronomy, as did completing a postdoc. The sex of the respondent had no direct effect on our measures of attrition, but indirectly affected attrition because women were less likely to report positive relationships with graduate advisors and more likely to report two-body problems. This research identifies specific areas of concern that can be addressed by the scientific community to increase the retention of all people, but especially women, in astronomy and astrophysics
Use of First-hand Data to Construct Knowledge About the Sun-Earth-Moon System
No full textInquiry-based educational contexts including observation of the Moon have been found to facilitate students´ understanding of the Sun-Earth-Moon system. However, the role that the collected data play in the knowledge construction process is unclear, as the process that students develop from the collected data has not previously been reported. Use of data is considered one of the three competencies of scientific literacy, and this research focuses on analysing how eighty four pre-service teachers perform it. A five-level scale has been elaborated. Twenty written group reports and 5 oral data discussion have been analysed. Improvement in the students’ knowledge, especially in areas that had been reported to be problematic, is observed. Results show that the designed activities and group discussions help students take their data into consideration, establish comparisons and identify patterns. However, difficulties in identifying patterns and especially in explaining their causes arise and are discussed. The role of the teacher in the process of establishing the causes of the identified patterns stands out when oral discussions are analysed. Several interventions of the teacher are found to be the key for the students to be able to use the collected data to construct appropriate scientific knowledge
Recognition of astronomy as an essential discipline at all levels of education in Tanzania
No full textWith decreasing interest in pursuing pure science programs, the onus is on Primary and Secondary schools to attract and maintain interest of students to pursue science subjects. Misunderstanding fundamental concepts leads to misconceptions about how processes work in nature. Many decades of teaching science to children without recourse to practical and hands on activities has led to disillusionment among learners that science is difficult to comprehend. It is discussed in this paper that this phenomenon is not restricted to the East African region but has also been documented and tackled in developed countries. It is proposed that introducing astronomy as a subject at all levels of education can revive interest in science and provide hands on experiences that can assist to remove fundamental misconceptions about processes in nature