iStarDB (The Astronomy Education Research Repository)
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Teacher’s misconception in curricular astronomy
No full textMisconceptions about astronomy concepts are found quite regularly in students, even after they have taken astronomy courses. There are numerous reasons for this [1, 2]. The authors in this paper have focused on the possibility that the existence of these misconceptions could be attributed to the misconceptions of the teacher-instructor and its transmission down to the students that he/she has been teaching. Keeping this in mind, the authors have prepared a questionnaire consisting of assertions split into 5 sections. The teacher-instructors were asked to gauge the truthfulness of the assertions in a survey. The responses to the section on Calendars and the section on Sun and Moon are covered in this article. It was concluded that the respondents of the survey face serious skill deficits in imparting conceptually correct astronomical knowledge to their students. This deficit in skill is not only due to a lack of information on the subject but also due to an inability/unwillingness of the teacher-instructor to make logical inferences/extensions from the knowledge he/she does possess on the topic
Undergraduate students’ understanding of the Moon phase change in a course for trainee teachers in compulsory education
No full textThe authors conducted two classes for undergraduate students. The aim of these experimental classes is to find better way to reduce the number of students with misconceptions related to the Moon’s phase change and increase the number of students with correct understanding of a lunar eclipse. To make deep knowledge of a lunar eclipse, in one class, we carried out practical work utilizing the scale size model kits. In another class, the students performed the work utilizing conceptual model kits. Finally, we found that the scale size model kit could reduce the number of students who believe the Moon phase change occurs due to a lunar eclipse
Relationship between learners’ motivation and course engagement in an astronomy massive open online course
No full textIn this work we study how different motivations of learners relate to their engagement in a massive open online course (MOOC). The research was conducted in a cohort-based astronomy MOOC “Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space” provided through the Coursera platform. In order to discern motivations of course participants, the Science Motivation Questionnaire II was administered as a first assignment of the course. The survey data were collected from December 2016 until December 2018 and responses from 3701 learners were acquired. In order to determine the relationship of motivation to course performance, four course engagement indicators are defined: course completion, use of video lectures, participation in the discussion forums, and participation in peer-grading assignments. Self-determination and self-efficacy are identified as the main motivational factors influencing all aspects of the course engagement except for the video usage. We show that both of these decrease with age, but increase with the number of previously taken science courses. The main reasons for signing up for the course which had an effect on course engagement were the goal of getting a certificate and perceived importance of the reputation of the instructor. There was no statistically significant difference in motivations between people who dropped after the first peer graded writing assignment and those who successfully completed the course, suggesting that after the first writing assignment learners quit from other reasons than lack of motivation. Unexpectedly, learners with high career, grade, and social motivation watched statistically significantly fewer instructional videos, and social motivation did not play a role in the forum usage
From Story to Science: The Contribution of Reading Fiction and Hybrid Stories to Conceptual Change with Young Children
No full textThis quasi‐experimental study with 34 preschoolers explores how fictional and hybrid storybooks contribute to conceptual changes in preschoolers' understanding of lunar concepts. Interviews and children's drawings before and after reading sessions provided the data. Findings revealed that (i) young children have intuitive knowledge and alternative explanations from their experiences and lay culture, (ii) storybook messages and illustrations cause misconceptions and (iii) hybrid stories increase protoscientific explanations among children of both genders. Combining accurate scientific information and enjoyable context makes hybrid storybooks effective edutainment for preschoolers
Game-Based Learning to Engage Students With Physics and Astronomy Using a Board Game
No full textIn this research article, the authors developed a novel astronomy board game and examined how this approach could facilitate the learning and teaching of astronomy topics covered in the new Irish Science Syllabus. A total of 119 post-primary students took part in the pilot trial across Ireland. Data was collected via feedback questionnaires, systematic observations and pre and post-test surveys. Results indicate that this astronomy board game significantly enhances students' knowledge of astronomy concepts and perceptions of scientists. Furthermore, teachers showed positive attitudes towards this approach for teaching astronomy. Additionally, the game was demonstrated as a useful learning tool and as an activity to promote social skills. The findings offer a promising basis for further exploration of the integration of game-based approaches to physics education to promote active participation and interaction, balancing the learning objectives with play
Realistic Explorations in Astronomical Learning (REAL)
No full textThe story of REAL began in June of 2007. My (Jennifer Wilhelm) background is Physics (bachelors and masters), and I have a PhD in Science and Mathematics Education with a dissertation on project-based instruction (Assessing Student Understanding of Sound Waves and Trigonometric Reasoning in a Technology-rich, Project-enhanced Environment). My husband and astronomer, Ron Wilhelm (PhD in Physics and Astronomy), and I were traveling with our two children to Yellowstone National Park from Lubbock, Texas, for a short vacation. I was not particularly thrilled about making this journey since I was heavily involved in preparing my dossier for promotion and tenure. As we traveled across the country on this 1,090 mile journey, we had much time to discuss our next project endeavors. Ron had already been using a project-enhanced investigative method within his astronomy classes since he became sold on this method while I researched it for my dissertation. It was during this road trip that we hatched the REAL idea and later that fall applied for a NASA grant to fund our REAL project-based unit. We were awarded the grant in October 2007, and the design, development, implementation, and research began
What does the general public expect from a night-sky observation?
No full textThe Night-Sky Observation Program (POC, acronym in Portuguese for Programa de Observação do Céu) is the most traditional education activity run by the Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences (MAST). It takes place twice a week and has an annual participation of 2,400 people. It starts with a brief talk and is followed by the observation with MAST's telescopes (one of them being over a century old and other modern amateur models). The present work is the first research conducted aimed at POC's evaluation according to the participants’ perspectives in its 33 years of existence. The data were collected using two instruments: a questionnaire, distributed to the participants prior to the activity, and an interview, conducted after the observations. We analysed the data using the Discourse of Collective Subject methodology, which allowed us to understand thoughts and values of the participants on a given topic. We find that the participants have the habit of gazing at the sky, even if for contemplation purposes only, and that the talk makes the public feel more prepared to observe the sky. It was frequently mentioned, though, that the language of the talk should be more oriented to children. We also find that the public expects to observe planets, stars, and constellations, and very few of them are disappointed with the whole experience. The participants also perceive the historical value of the old refractor and declare that the activity brought them feelings of wonderment. We concluded that our instruments and methodology are suitable to evaluate similar sky-observation activities. As a next step, we will conduct a survey to identify worldwide institutions that also use historically valuable telescopes in their public observations with the goal of exchanging experiences and discussing the use of such instruments with education purposes
Investigating introductory astronomy students' perceived impacts from participation in course-based undergraduate research experiences
No full text[This paper is part of the Focused Collection on Astronomy Education Research.] This study investigates students’ perceived impacts regarding their participation in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in astronomy. Each research experience adopted one or more projects from the Research Based Science Education for Undergraduates (RBSEU) curriculum, which teaches analysis of astronomical data coming from various national observatories. Participating students were enrolled in introductory astronomy courses at one of four universities using the curriculum. They were invited to respond to several instruments, including surveys (N=199), essays (N=94), and interviews (N=19). Each university implemented the curriculum differently with respect to content covered, length of instruction, and whether students’ research results were contributed to the astronomical community. We found that participation in all versions of the curriculum had the potential to significantly increase students’ perceived confidence participating in science. However, participation in experiences wherein results were contributed to the scientific community more often led to students’ nuanced perceptions of science processes, including increased understanding of the role of analysis and the utility of scientific communities and collaborations. We frame our study according to a pathway model under study by discipline-based education researchers of CUREs and explore our findings’ connections with psychological theories
What's That Object? Learning Astronomical Concepts Through The Use Of The Aladin Program And Manipulation Of Astronomical Images
No full textVarious studies have noted current shortcomings in the teaching and learning of science in schools, and the results of large-scale tests show that despite heavy investment in education, Brazilians' understanding of science test scores typically fall short of what could be if students had a consistent, high-quality basic education. This article summarizes the teaching plan and systematic study results for an activity titled "What’s That Object?" implemented in the city of Salvador, Bahia state, Brazil, in 2015. Astronomical concepts were taught, and the Aladin software was used in the lessons, which included two computerized memory games produced for this activity. We believe that the results lend strong support to the notion that astronomy education can be improved and motivates educators to teach astronomical concepts at the elementary school level
Processing Images from the Zwicky Transient Facility
No full textThe Zwicky Transient Facility is a new robotic-observing program, in which a newly engineered 600-MP digital camera with a pioneeringly large field of view, 47 square degrees, will be installed into the 48-inch Samuel Oschin Telescope at the Palomar Observatory. The camera will generate � 1 petabyte of raw image data over three years of operations. In parallel related work, new hardware and software systems are being developed to process these data in real time and build a long-term archive for the processed products. The first public release of archived products is planned for early 2019, which will include processed images and astronomical-source catalogs of the northern sky in the g and r bands. Source catalogs based on two different methods will be generated for the archive: aperture photometry and point-spread-function fitting