Astronomy Education

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific, as part of its mission to advance science literacy through engagement in astronomy, is starting a new online programme using podcasting and other web-based techniques to provide astronomy background to educational "intermediaries" -- those who are the interface between astronomy and the public. This programme, entitled Astronomy Behind the Headlines, is designed to assist these intermediaries in quickly responding to and interpreting the latest astronomy and space science news.

La presente investigación aborda la cualificación para la enseñanza de la astronomía en el contexto de la formación docente en ciencias naturales, con el objetivo de mejorar las competencias didácticas y disciplinarias en esta área. Se describe un marco teórico fundamentado en el constructivismo, que orienta la metodología hacia una enseñanza activa y contextualizada. La investigación emplea un enfoque cualitativo, con fases que incluyen la revisión de literatura, la construcción curricular y la implementación de una actividad académica, "Astronomía para la
Educación", en la Licenciatura en Ciencias Naturales y Educación Ambiental de la Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia. Esta actividad buscó evaluar y fortalecer el conocimiento disciplinar, pedagógico y didáctico de los docentes en formación. Los resultados destacan que la enseñanza de la astronomía enfrenta limitaciones por su
escasa inclusión en los currículos, lo cual afecta la comprensión y el interés de los estudiantes en temas astronómicos. Sin embargo, se observa que con la implementación de la actividad curricular
se mejora la apropiación conceptual y didáctica en astronomía. Concluyendo que es esencial reformular los currículos de formación docente para integrar la astronomía de forma coherente,
promoviendo así un aprendizaje profundo y significativo que prepare a los futuros docentes para enfrentar los retos educativos en ciencias astronómicas y contribuir a una educación científica más sólida y crítica en Colombia.

У монографії реконструйовано основні віхи становлення та розвитку астрономічної науки у Харкові упродовж 1883–1945 рр. на прикладі діяльності астрономічної обсерваторії Харківського університету. За цей період визначна світоглядна наука у Харкові досягла значних успіхів: праці харківських астрономів отримали світове визнання; в обсерваторії створено загальновідому наукову планетну школу; науковим співтовариством високо оцінені дослідження у галузі фізики та хімії Місяця, великих та малих планет Сонячної системи. Основною ідеєю дослідження є необхідність вписати історію університетської обсерваторії у європейський та світовий контекст. Його метою є узагальнення результатів комплексного історико-наукового дослідження розвитку астрономічних досліджень у Харкові наприкінці ХІХ ст. – першій половині ХХ ст. та визначення шляхів подальших наукових пошуків. Виконане дослідження, яке продовжує проблематику робіт, присвячених вивченню історії астрономічної науки в Україні, фокусується на розширенні загальновідомої джерельної бази через залучення нових ретроінформаційних ресурсів. Зокрема, у монографії використано значний масив архівних першоджерел з майже двадцяти архівно-бібліотечних установ різних країн. Більшість з них вперше було введено до наукового обігу, що дозволило визначити і конкретизувати послідовність етапів розвитку астрономічної науки у Харкові упродовж досліджуваного періоду, уточнити та виявити маловідомі обставини з обсерваторського буття. Методологічною основою дослідження є принципи історизму, об’єктивності та системного підходу до вивчення проблеми. Для вирішення конкретно-проблемних завдань у монографії використані загальнонаукові та спеціально-історичні методи, які дозволили комплексно дослідити, проаналізувати та узагальнити представлений фактографічний матеріал. В основних розділах монографії репрезентовано динаміку поповнення інструментальної бази університетської обсерваторії, хронологію будівництва споруд обсерваторського комплексу будівель на місці розташування сучасного Науково-дослідного інституту астрономії ХНУ імені В. Н. Каразіна. Відповідно до авторської періодизації проаналізовано етапи формування тематики та напрямів наукової роботи університетських астрономів, серед яких: сейсмічні спостереження за допомогою горизонтальних маятників Ребер-Пашвіца, дослідження активності Сонця, астрометричні спостереження на меридіанному колі Репсольда з метою складання каталогу зодіакальних зір, вивчення місячних затемнень та метеорних потоків. Розглянуто участь університетських астрономів у створенні плану міста Харкова та його з’єднання із загальною мережею точних геометричних нівелювань Військово-топографічного відділу Головного Штабу; організацію спостережень експедицією харківських астрономів повного сонячного затемнення 1914 р. у Генічеську; створення Школи-майстерні точної механіки при фізико-математичному факультеті Харківського університету; документально підтверджена інформація щодо участі харківських астрономів у подіях громадянської війни періоду Української революції. Розглянуто науково-дослідницьку діяльність харківських астрономів упродовж 1920-1930-рр., присвячену проведенню важливих астрометричних робіт із меридіанних спостережень схилень зір абсолютними методами та спостережень зір Копфа-Ренца за програмами Міжнародного астрономічного союзу, започаткуванню створення Каталогу слабких зір; дослідженням у галузі астрофізики, спрямованих на вивчення фізичних умов на Місяці та Сонці, планет та міжзоряного середовища; виконанню тривалих серій спектрофотометричних спостережень Місяця, Юпітера, Марса та Сатурна при різних умовах спостережень; вивченню кінематики зоряних систем різного порядку, фізичних параметрів та еволюції зір, морфології Галактики, природи зоряних надр та атмосфер, пилових та газових туманностей, нових зір та змінності зір; з’ясовано напрямки ґрунтовних робіт, які проводилися у галузі небесної механіки, присвячених динаміці малих планет групи Юпітера, визначенню та поліпшенню орбіт малих планет. Висвітлено розвиток аматорської астрономії у Харкові, зокрема функціонування гуртків та товариств, які спрямовували свою діяльність на розповсюдження астрономічних знань; акцентовано на участі їх представників в астрономічних спостереженнях у Харківській астрономічній обсерваторії. Реконструйовано розвиток історичних подій у 1930-х роках, пов'язаних із залученням радянських і західних астрономів до процесів політичного протистояння СРСР та західного світу; досліджено перебіг обставин, які не дозволили реалізувати проєкт створення нового сучасного астрономічного центру загальнореспубліканського значення – центральної Української обсерваторії у Харкові; висвітлено участь експедиції харківських астрономів у спостереженні на Північному Кавказі «великого радянського затемнення» – повного сонячного затемнення 1936 р.; встановлено факти проведення політичних «чисток» та репресій органами НКВС у Харківській астрономічній обсерваторії. Документально підтверджено діяльність Харківської астрономічної обсерваторії та представлено достовірні біографічні відомості стосовно її представників під час нацистської окупації 1941–1943 рр. періоду німецько-радянської війни; висвітлено непопулярні факти вимушеного колабораціонізму деяких учених; охарактеризовано процес відновлення та реконструкції Харківської астрономічної обсерваторії після визволення міста. З метою дослідження персональної історії харківської астрономії досліджуваного періоду у монографії представлено результати проведеного історико-біографічного дослідження стосовно фактів із життя та наукової спадщини вчених, які повністю присвятили себе Науці, заклали підвалини для перспективного розвитку багатьох напрямів сучасних астрономічних досліджень, зробили значний внесок до скарбниці вітчизняної та європейської астрономічної науки, життєдіяльність яких була пов’язана із Харківською астрономічною обсерваторією, зокрема: В. Г. Левицького, Л. О. Струве, М. М. Євдокимова, О. Л. Струве, М. П. Барабашова, Б. П. Герасимовича, В. Г. Фесенкова, О. І. Раздольського, Б. П. Остащенка-Кудрявцева, М. Ф. Бобровникова, П. Г. Пархоменко, М. С. Саврона, Б. Є. Сємейкіна, К. М. Савченка та ін. (представлено 25 біографічних есе). Значну частину зазначеного фактографічного матеріалу також вперше введено до наукового обігу. В окремому розділі монографії наведено хронологічно структуровану інформацію, яка відбиває послідовність науково-пошукової роботи співробітників Харківської астрономічної обсерваторії у досліджуваний період: від астрометричних спостережень зір та сейсмічних досліджень до спектрогеліоскопічних та спектрогеліографічних спостережень Сонця та зародження харківської школи планетознавства. Передбачається, що матеріали монографії будуть використані у науково-дослідній роботі, присвяченій дослідженню процесу інституціоналізації астрономічних досліджень в Харкові наприкінці ХІХ ст. – першій половині ХХ ст. / The main milestones of the formation and development of astronomical science in Kharkiv during 1883–1945 are reconstructed on the example of the activities of the astronomical observatory of Kharkiv University. During this period, the outstanding worldview science in Kharkiv has achieved significant success: the works of Kharkiv astronomers have received world recognition; a well-known scientific planetary school has been established at the Observatory; the scientific community highly appreciated the research on the physics and chemistry of the Moon, the giant and small planets of the Solar System. The primary goal of the research is to inscribe the history of the university Observatory into the European and world context. Its purpose is to summarize the results of a comprehensive historical ad scientific study of the development of astronomical research in Kharkiv at the end of the 19th century – the first half of the 20th century and identification of ways of further scientific research. The completed research, which continues the problems of works devoted to the study of the history of astronomical science in Ukraine, focuses on expanding the well-known source base by attracting new retro-information resources. In particular, the monograph used a significant array of archival primary sources from almost twenty archival and library institutions of different countries. Most of them were introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, which allowed to determine and specify the sequence of stages of development of astronomical science in Kharkiv during the research period, to clarify and identify the little-known circumstances of the observatory life. The methodological basis of the study is the principles of historism, objectivity and a systematic approach to studying the problem. To solve specific problematic tasks in the monograph, general scientific and specially historical methods were used which allowed to study, analyze and summarize the presented factual material in a complex manner. The main sections of the monograph represent the dynamics of replenishment of the instrumental base of the university observatory, the chronology of the construction of the observatory complex of buildings at the location of the modern Scientific Research Institute of Astronomy of the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. According to the author’s periodization, the stages of formation of subjects and directions of scientific work of university astronomers have been analyzed, including: seismic observations with the help of horizontal Rebeur-Paschwitz pendulums, research of the activity of the Sun, astrometric observations on the Repsold meridian circle of for the purpose of compiling a catalog of zodiac stars, studying lunar eclipses and meteor showers. The participation of university astronomers in the creation of the plan of the city of Kharkiv and its connection with the general network of precise geometric leveling of the Military Topographic Department of the General Staff; the organization of observations by an expedition of Kharkiv...

A new survey for measuring students’ astronomy and science attitudes that has been validated for use with high school students (with a future intent to expand to middle school and university) is presented. We initially present a short review of instruments in the literature that attempt to measure attitudes in astronomy together with the difficulties encountered in measuring these by researchers in the subsequent analyses of results. To illustrate this, we present an example from an Astro101-level university course to display the problems with the current, most commonly used, astronomy attitude instrument. We then present the initial design and the Factor Analysis of a new instrument designed to address the deficiencies of this existing instrument from a sample of students in a high school-level astronomy education project. The factors identified by this instrument include: Interest in Astronomy, Interest in Science Outside of School, Practical Work in Science, Teacher’s Actions in ...

Recibido: 1 de junio de 2007; aceptado para su publicación: 2 de mayo de 2008) Fernández Nistal y Peña: Concepciones de maestros de primaria… Se estudian las concepciones sobre la forma del planeta Tierra y el sistema de referencia geométrico determinado por la gravedad en 80 maestros de primaria. El instrumento utilizado es una entrevista semiestructurada de aplicación individual. Un análisis cualitativo de las respuestas de los maestros a la entrevista reveló cuatro concepciones: a) el planeta Tierra tiene una forma indefinida; b) la Tierra es una esfera en cuyo interior viven las personas; c) la Tierra es esférica y las personas viven en su superficie según un sistema de referencia absoluto hacia abajo y d) concepción científica. La distribución de los maestros en estas concepciones indica que casi la mitad (49%) presentó concepciones alternativas, el resto sostuvo la concepción científica. Los resultados de este estudio ofrecen información relevante para el diseño de cursos de formación para maestros desde una perspectiva constructivista. Palabras clave: Concepciones, enseñanza de las ciencias, docentes de educación primaria, conceptos científicos.

Στην παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή επιχειρείται η διδασκαλία βασικών στοιχείων (εννοιών και φαινομένων) του συστήματος Ήλιος–Γη–Σελήνη στην πρωτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση. Συγκεκριμένα, διερευνάται ο βαθμός στον οποίο οι μαθητές των τελευταίων τάξεων του δημοτικού σχολείου, στο πλαίσιο της σχολικής επιστήμης, μπορούν να οικοδομήσουν ένα εννοιολογικό πλαίσιο το οποίο θα ενσωματώνει τις παρακάτω κινήσεις: α) Περιστροφή της Γης γύρω από το νοητό της άξονα με περίοδο 24 ώρες β) Περιφορά της Σελήνης γύρω από τη Γη με περίοδο ένα συνοδικό μήνα (29,3 μέρες) γ) Περιφορά της Γης γύρω από τον Ήλιο με περίοδο ένα ημερολογιακό έτος μέσω της προσπάθειάς τους να ερμηνεύσουν παρατηρησιακά δεδομένα από την καθημερινή τους εμπειρία. Για να διερευνηθεί σε βάθος ο εν λόγω στόχος, δίνεται έμφαση στις δυσκολίες που ανακύπτουν κατά τη διδασκαλία των προαναφερθεισών κινήσεων, αλλά και στην προσπάθεια αντιμετώπισής τους, για να διαπιστωθεί στο τέλος ο βαθμός στον οποίο οι δυσκολίες αυτές είναι δυνατόν να ξεπεραστούν.

Στην παρούσα εργασία παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα μιας διδακτικής παρέμβασης σε μαθητές/τριες Ε’ Δημοτικού, για τη φαινόμενη κίνησης της Σελήνης, αξιοποιώντας τη σωματική προσομοίωση ως εργαλείο διερεύνησης. Η σωματική προσομοίωση έδινε τη δυνατότητα στους μαθητές: α) να βιώνουν(έμμεσα) τις κινήσεις της Γης, με το σώμα τους β) να παρατηρούν τη Σελήνη ως ακίνητοι παρατηρητές στη Γη, με τα μάτια τους. Η ανάλυση των αποτελεσμάτων έδειξε ότι η σωματική προσομοίωση βοήθησετους μαθητές να διαπιστώσουν πως η φαινόμενη κίνηση της Σελήνης οφείλεται στο συνδυασμό τηςιδιοπεριστροφής της Γης και της περιφοράς της Σελήνης γύρω από τη Γη, με την ίδια φορά.

Περίληψη Η παρούσα εργασία αναφέρεται στο σχεδιασμό, την εφαρµογή κααι την αξιολόγηση µιας Ακολουθίας Διδασκαλίας και Μάθησης για τη Φαινόμενη Κίνηση της Σελήνης. Η εν λόγω Ακολουθία σχεδιάστηκε για να χρησιµοποιηθεί ως µέσο "οικοδόµησης', από τη µεριά των µαθητών, της επιστηµονικής πληροφορίας ότι η Σελήνη περιφέρεται γύρω απότη Γη µεπερίοδο ένα συνοδικό µήνα. Κομβικό σηµείο της αποτελεί η αντιµετώπιση της εναλλακτικής αντίληψης των µαθητών ότι η Σελήνη εμφανίζεται κάθε µέρα την ίδια ώρα στον ουρανό, γεγονός που υποβάλλεται από την ευρέως διαδεδοµένη άποψη ότι η Σελήνη είναι πάντοτε ορατή τη νύχτα. H εφαρµογή της Ακολουθίας σε µαθητές της Ε' Δημοτικού έδειξε ότι η μεγάλη πλειοψηφία τους «οικοδοµεί» µε επιτυχία όλα τα χαρακτηριστικά αυτής της κίνησης, µε εξαίρεση τη φορά µετην οποία λαμβάνει χώρα.

Electronic classroom response systems (CRSs) have been in use in large college lectures for over three decades. Such systems are designed to provide instructors and students with immediate statistical analyses of student electronic responses to multiple-choice questions posed to the class by the instructor. The technique known as peer instruction uses a CRS to tabulate student responses after students have had an opportunity to discuss ideas with seat partners. In this study, we investigate recorded peer CRS conversations collected in two introductory astronomy courses over two semesters. Findings suggest that when instructors adopt a high-stakes grading incentive that assigns little credit for incorrect CRS responses rather than providing forums for the spontaneous exploration of nascent ideas, conversations tend to become dominated by a single partner as students attempt to earn maximum credit for a correct answer. We also present a comparison of two methods for studying conversation bias in peer instruction discourse that could be valuable to other researchers interested in studying peer discourse.

In the present paper, learning processes that k-5 students follow when teaching the basic movements of the Sun-Earth-Moon, are investigated. General trends regarding the difficulties faced by them and key features that facilitate the way to the conclusion, are reflected. According to the results of the research, students follow learning pathways that helps them to face effectively strong alternative conceptions, when they arise, and to link basic movements with observations related to phenomena of everyday life.

Η παρούσα έρευνα αποτελεί μελέτη περίπτωσης ενός μαθητή Ε' Δημοτικού αναφορικά με τη δυνατότητά του να παράγει ενσώματους συλλογισμούς για τις εννοιολογικές διαστάσεις της Φαινόμενης Κίνησης της Σελήνης, στο πλαίσιο ενός Διδακτικού Πειράματος. Από την ανάλυση του βιντεοσκοπημένου Διδακτικού Πειράματος προέκυψε ότι ο εκπαιδευόμενος μέσω της σωματικής του έκφρασης καταφέρνει να: α) μεταβεί από έναν δισδιάστατο οπτικό κώδικα στον τρισδιάστατο χώρο που περιέχει τις οντότητες Γη-Σελήνη, β) νοηματοδοτήσει τις διαφορετικές συχνότητες κίνησης των οντοτήτων αυτών, γ) προσεγγίσει την έννοια της σχετικής κίνησης.

In this paper, primary school students' and pre-service teachers' ideas of seasonal change are investigated. The research was carried out in nine primary schools in Athens and in the Primary Education Department of the University of Athens. Written reports were used for gathering data while students also had the opportunity to support their answers with drawings. The results showed the following. (1) Pre-service teachers address notions which involve the movement of the Sun and/or the Earth, while primary school students address human centred, tautological and phenomenological notions as well. (2) Both primary school students and pre-service teachers mainly adopt two schemes of explanation: alterations in the distance between the Sun and the Earth and alterations in the Earth-Sun relative orientation/illumination.

The present study focuses on the design of a Teaching and Learning Sequence concerning the Moon‘s Apparent Movement. It is part of a broader research regarding relative movements of the Sun-EarthMoon system from an educational point of view. The concerned Sequence was designed as a means of teaching the Moon‘s revolution around the Earth within a Synodic month. Crucial point of the Sequence seems to be dealing with students‘ alternative idea that the Moon rises everyday at the same time, which, as bibliography shows, is imposed by the widely spread, erroneous belief that the Moon is always visible at night.

Η παρούσα εργασία αναφέρεται στο σχεδιασμό, την εφαρμογή και την αξιολόγηση μιας Ακολουθίας Διδασκαλίας και Μάθησης για τη Φαινόμενη Κίνηση του Ήλιου σε μαθητές Ε' δημοτικού. Η Ακολουθία σχεδιάστηκε για να χρησιμοποιηθεί ως μέσο 'οικοδόμησης' της επιστημονικής πληροφορίας ότι η Γη ιδιοπεριστρέφεται με περίοδο 24 ωρών. Κομβικό της σημείο αποτελεί η αντιμετώπιση των εναλλακτικών αντίληψεων των μαθητών σύμφωνα με τις οποίες το φαινόμενο αποδίδεται στην περιφορά της Γης γύρω από τον Ήλιο ή στην υποτιθέμενη περιφορά του Ήλιου γύρω από τη Γη. Η εφαρμογή της Ακολουθίας σε μαθητές της Ε' Δημοτικού έδειξε ότι η μεγάλη πλειοψηφία τους «οικοδομεί» με επιτυχία όλα τα χαρακτηριστικά αυτής της κίνησης.

The present study focuses on the planning, implementation and evaluation of a teaching and learning sequence regarding the Moon's apparent movement. The main aim of the sequence was to effectively teach the Moon's revolution around the Earth within a synodic month. A key point for the design of the sequence was to deal with the students' alternative idea that the Moon rises every day at the same time, which is imposed by the widely spread, erroneous belief that the Moon is always visible at night. The implementation of the sequence with K-5 students showed that the majority managed to successfully "construct" knowledge based on key concepts of the Moon's revolution around the Earth.

Astronomy  education  is  essential  for  STEM  education  in primary schools, and integrating engineering design-based science education  enhances  student  engagement  and  achievement  in  the field  of  space  science.  Integrating  engineering  design  into  science education is essential for students to excel in astronomy and to meet the  requirements  of  contemporary  society.  This  study  investigated the  effect  of  engineering  design-based  instruction  (EDBI)  on  the understanding  of  astronomy  concepts  among  sixth-grade  students. The  study  included  a  cohort  of  37  sixth-grade  students  from  a public  school.  It  was  carried  out  using  a  one-group  pre-test,  post-test  experimental  design.  All  participants  received  EDBI  that  was based  on  the  objectives  of  the  6th  grade “Solar  System  andEclipses”unit.  Statistical  analyses  were  employed  to  ascertain  the effect  of  astronomy  instruction  based  on  engineering  design  on students’comprehension  of  astronomy  concepts.  The  results indicated a significant difference in the average scores of students’understanding  of  astronomical  concepts  before  and  after  being taught using EDBI.

This work deals with the use of tactile materials as a pedagogical tool for the teaching of Astronomy, and this material was used in a didactic activity with 44 students of the public elementary school in Minas Gerais. A visually impaired student and another hearing impaired participated, being these the focus of the research. With the tactile visual material elaborated, the objective was to develop themes such as phases of the Moon, eclipses and Solar System. Two questionnaires were applied and revealed an improvement in the concepts related to Astronomy and in the socialization of disabled students with the group after the didactic activity. Resumo. Este trabalho aborda o uso de materiais táteis como ferramenta pedagógica para o ensino de Astronomia, sendo este material utilizado em uma atividade didática com 44 alunos do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola pública de Minas Gerais. Um aluno deficiente visual e outro deficiente auditivo participaram, sendo esses o foco da pesquisa. Com o material tátil visual elaborado objetivou-se desenvolver temas como fases da Lua, eclipses e Sistema Solar. Dois questionários foram aplicados e revelaram uma melhora nos conceitos relacionados à Astronomia e na socialização dos alunos deficientes com a turma após a atividade didática realizada.

The curricular proposal of the State of São Paulo (Brazil) suggests for Elementary Education in the discipline of Sciences contents related to Astronomy. In a public basic school in Santo André, an analysis was realized to examine the previous knowledge of three classes of the 6th year. Only 19,0% of the students reached the minimal satisfactory note. In the same year, the contents were presented with different teaching strategies. In one class, an expository lesson with audiovisual aids was applied, in a second class an expository lesson with dialog and in the third one, a research by means of didactical books was conducted, elaborated using instruments and signs of agreement the intellectual development proposed by Vygotsky. The case study methodology was used to investigate and analyze the students' performance and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test which strategy was most efficient. After the approach, it was observed that there was an improvement in the performance of the...

Since the early days of mankind, humans have looked to the stars for answers to their biggest questions, expecting the fulfillment of the most basic need to comprehend the universe they inhabit, both from a scientific perspective and from other cultural standpoints. The skyscape has been the source of inspiration, imagination, for science and philosophy. The dual interaction between man and the skyscape, so-called cultural astronomy and/or archaeoastronomy, concerns with cultural, artistic, everyday perceptions and understandings of astronomical phenomena, and forms a rich cross-disciplinary field. The determination of time and identification of human or animal images from the starry configurations has exerted a strong influence on the human cultures throughout the millennia. The four solar stands, the lunar phases, the planetary orbits, the rise and setting of bright stars and the constellations have triggered past societies to determine the time for daily works. In essence, the determination of time was deemed necessary for many daily aspects. World examples from the five continents on these aspects are outlined, focused on the determination of time with solar stands in daylight, the lunar periodic movements, and bright stars and associated configurations (constellations). Seven broad categories are recognized: Cat.

As temáticas relacionadas com a formação das nuvens e do nevoeiro, fenómenos que fazem parte do dia a dia dos cidadãos, são contempladas nos currículos Portugueses e Espanhóis e abordadas nas disciplinas da área das Ciências Físicas e Naturais e da ...

The recent increase in use of digital devices such as laptop computers, iPads, and web-enabled cell phones has generated concern about how technologies affect student performance. Combining observation, survey, and interview data, this research assesses the effects of technology use on student attitudes and learning. Data were gathered in eight introductory science courses at a major university. Results show a significant negative correlation between in-class phone use and final grades, with use of cell phones corresponding to a drop of 0.36 6 0.08 on a 4-point scale where 4.0 ¼ A. These findings are consistent with research (Ophir, Nass, and Wagner 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106, 15583) suggesting students cannot multitask nearly as effectively as they think they can. While 75% of students reported regular cell phone use, observation suggests undergraduates typically underreport the frequency of their in-class use of digital devices.

I started to study the indigenous astronomy of
Africans for a number of reasons, some of them
perhaps not the most noble:
1)  I was tired of everyone I met being so surprised that
I was an astronomer,
2)  someone earnestly told me, “Black people do not
look up”,
3)  I wanted a career that allowed me to spend only six
hours a day at the computer (as opposed to 12!) and
included travel, and
4) I wanted to make better use of my people skills.
Thus, I took a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA, ideally
to study African cultural astronomy, but, in reality, just
to figure out how to be a social scientist. I had to learn
the difference between primary and secondary sources
(and what was grey literature) as I put together a
library for my studies.

The effects of teaching methods on preservice teachers knowledge about basic astronomy subjects. New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences. [Online]. 4(1), pp 270-277. Available from: www.prosoc.eu Selection and peer review under responsibility of Prof. Dr.

Bu calisma, ortaokul ogrencilerinin uzaydaki cisimler ve uzayda yasam konularindaki goruslerinin cinsiyet ve sinif seviyesi degiskenleri acisindan incelenmesi amaciyla yapilmistir. Calismaya, 5, 6, 7 ve 8. siniftaki 120 ogrenci (60 erkek ve 60 kiz) katilmistir. Tarama modelinin kullanildigi bu calismada, arastirmacilar tarafindan gelistirilen ve 8 acik uclu sorudan olusan bir anket formu kullanilmistir. Veriler, betimsel analiz ve icerik analizi ile cozumlenmistir. Bu analizler sonucunda, uzaydaki cisimler konusu sinif duzeyi ve cinsiyetler acisindan degerlendirildiginde, tum duzeylerde frekansi en yuksek olan cevabin “gezegen” ve sonrasinda “yildizlar” oldugu gorulmustur. Uzaydaki yasamin varligi konusunda s inif duzeyi arttikca ogrencilerin daha detayli aciklama yaptiklari ve erkek ogrencilerin uzaydaki yasamin varligina, kiz ogrencilerden daha fazla inandiklari tespit edilmistir. Bunun yaninda, ogrencilerden uzaydaki canlilara ait aciklamalar ve cizimler yapmalari istenmistir. Ay...

Başarı testi, öğrenci kazanımı, ölçme ve değerlendirme ÖZ Bu çalışmanın amacı 2018 yılında değişime uğrayan Fen Bilimleri Öğretim Programı'ndaki 6. sınıf "Güneş Sistemi ve Tutulmalar" ünitesi ile ilgili geçerli ve güvenilir çoktan seçmeli başarı testi geliştirmektir. Çalışmayı hazırlayan araştırmacılar tarafından müfredata uygun kazanımlar hazırlanmış ve belirtke tablosu oluşturulmuştur. Çalışma grubunu Amasya il merkezindeki bazı ortaokullarda öğrenim gören 291 6. sınıf öğrencisi oluşturmaktadır. Elde edilen veriler ile "madde güçlük indeksi, madde ayırt edicilik indeksi ve güvenirlik için Kuder Richardson-20, Kuder Richardson-21" değerleri incelenmiştir. Başarı testinden elde edilen bu veri seti için geçerli ve güvenilir sonuçlar elde edilmiştir. Yenilenen 2018 Fen Bilimleri Öğretim Programı kapsamında 6. sınıf ortaokul öğrencilerinin, ileride çalışma yapacak araştırmacıların ve öğretmenlerin alanda büyük katkı sağlayacağına inanılmaktadır.

As the IAU heads towards its second century, many changes have simultaneously transformed Astronomy and the human condition world-wide. Amid the amazing recent discoveries of exoplanets, primeval galaxies, and gravitational radiation, the human condition on Earth has become blazingly interconnected, yet beset with ever-increasing problems of over-population, pollution, and never-ending wars. Fossil-fueled global climate change has begun to yield perilous consequences. And the displacement of people from war-torn nations has reached levels not seen since World War II.

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo identificar los diferentes modelos mentales que tienen los estudiantes de grado quinto, del colegio Monterrey, acerca del concepto de sistema solar y las principales fuentes de información a las que recurren para configurar su conocimiento acerca de dicho concepto. Se pretende examinar, mediante el diseño e implementación de una unidad didáctica, las relaciones entre las fuentes de información que frecuentan los estudiantes y la construcción de modelos mentales, debido a la gran influencia que tienen estos en la construcción de conocimiento. Siguiendo una ruta metodológica cualitativa, bajo un paradigma interpretativo, se realizan entrevistas no estructuradas y estructuradas a los estudiantes y registros de las clases

This study seeks to detect the change experienced by pre-service science teachers in terms of certain heavenly bodies and astronomical concepts through the use of telescope based on the predict-observe-explain method. This research was designed according to one group pretest-posttest modeling. The data collection tool of the study is "Astronomical Observation Form" prepared by the researchers. The study group consists of 80 teacher candidates who are studying in Science Teacher Education. The data collected via the "Astronomical Observation Form" were analyzed through identification of their states of learning. The results indicated no significant changes in the participants' visual and theoretical knowledge of the shape and the surface of the Moon. An increase was detected in the correct responses about Jupiter. As to the responses about the location of the planets and stars, the pre-service science teachers' knowledge was incomplete, though there was an...

In the study, it was aimed to determine the change of the concepts of pre-service science teachers in some astronomy concepts by using telescope in accordance with the TGA (predict-observe-explain) method. In the study, semi-experimental design was created by using the single group pretest-posttest model. The study group consists of 80 teacher candidates studying in Science Education program. "Astronomy Observation Form" created by the researchers was used as a data collection tool. The data obtained from the "Astronomy Observation Form" were analyzed by determining the learning situations. Each question is divided into two as theoretical and visual information and analyzed with rubric. According to the findings obtained, there was no remarkable change in the comprehension of the candidates in terms of visual and theoretical information about the shape and surface of the Moon. Correct answers were found in the questions about the planet Jupiter. When the answers ...

The development of student understanding of phases of the moon is notoriously difficult due to the spatial reasoning requirements posed by the relative motion of three celestial bodies. We have used the Greek version of Physics by Inquiry to develop two alternative three-body models with a class of prospective elementary teachers. At the end of the semester we used a computer-based evaluation instrument that we developed in order to assess student understanding of the formation of the phases of the moon as well as the ...

The aim of this paper was to review the evidence regarding the effectiveness of active learning in the sciences. Numerous research provide strong empirical evidence supporting the claim that interactive engagement with course material is vital to student learning, especially in areas such as physics, biology, chemistry, and physiology. In addition, common active learning techniques were discussed. Four active learning methods were described regarding their application to introductory biomechanics courses. This set of strategies is relatively easy to implement in a variety of classroom settings which increase overall student learning without requiring major curriculum change.

This article discusses the challenges faced by professional kindergarten teachers (PTs) and preservice kindergarten teachers (PSTs) during their participation in the ABATAC project, which took place during the academic year 2021-2022. The project's aim was to provide astronomy training to PTs and PSTs, enabling them to plan and deliver astronomy lessons for young children. A combined quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data was conducted to comprehend the difficulties encountered by the participants during their training and implementation in classrooms. The research showed that ABATAC had an overall positive impact and did not present significant difficulties to the participants. However, some challenges that stood out included developing age-appropriate astronomy lessons for children and implementing ABATAC's methodological approaches. Although the participants had limited knowledge of astronomy concepts and lacked experience in teaching astronomy activities, their confidence and self-efficacy in delivering astronomy activities improved after the ABATAC training. Additionally, some other issues, such as navigating the ABATAC course, were also brought up. The program appears to have contributed to an increase in the participants' readiness and confidence to organize and implement astronomy activities in their teaching.

This article discusses the challenges faced by professional kindergarten teachers (PTs) and preservice kindergarten teachers (PSTs) during their participation in the ABATAC project, which took place during the academic year 2021-2022. The project's aim was to provide astronomy training to PTs and PSTs, enabling them to plan and deliver astronomy lessons for young children. A combined quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data was conducted to comprehend the difficulties encountered by the participants during their training and implementation in classrooms. The research showed that ABATAC had an overall positive impact and did not present significant difficulties to the participants. However, some challenges that stood out included developing age-appropriate astronomy lessons for children and implementing ABATAC's methodological approaches. Although the participants had limited knowledge of astronomy concepts and lacked experience in teaching astronomy activities, their confidence and self-efficacy in delivering astronomy activities improved after the ABATAC training. Additionally, some other issues, such as navigating the ABATAC course, were also brought up. The program appears to have contributed to an increase in the participants' readiness and confidence to organize and implement astronomy activities in their teaching.

Nivel: de 5 a 7 años Antonia Trompeta, UA Índice 0. Importancia de estudiar el tema 1. Ideas fundamentales para el enseñante 2. ¿Qué objetivos nos proponemos? 3. ¿Qué pueden investigar los niños? 4. ¿Cómo podemos descubrir las ideas de los alumnos? 5. Propuesta secuenciada de actividades ¿Cómo plantear una investigación con los niños?

Astronomy is the oldest science, with connections to development of the most important concepts in physics. A course is described that covers its evolution from prehistory to modern cosmology, giving due weight to the philosophical implications of the subject. The pedagogy is designed to let students develop their writing and reasoning skills. The newly developed course has been delivered to three distinct audiences: non-science majors at a major public university, adult community members taking the course for enrichment, and a worldwide audience of lifelong adult learners who enroll in a massive open online course (MOOC). Class content is informed by the scholarly literature on philosophy and the history of physics and astronomy. Subject matter is divided into thirteen chronological topics: Ancient Skies, Greek Science, Revolutions, Telescopes, Gravity, Evolution, Mapping, Relativity, Quantum Theory, Stars and Atoms, Galaxies, the Big Bang, and Life in the Universe. The topics are presented at a rate of one per week during the standard university semester, and they are parsed into five two-hour sessions for the local community audience and seven weeks of self-paced video lectures for the online MOOC audience.

Astronomy is the oldest science, with connections to development of the most important concepts in physics. A course is described that covers its evolution from prehistory to modern cosmology, giving due weight to the philosophical implications of the subject. The pedagogy is designed to let students develop their writing and reasoning skills. The newly developed course has been delivered to three distinct audiences: non-science majors at a major public university, adult community members taking the course for enrichment, and a worldwide audience of lifelong adult learners who enroll in a massive open online course (MOOC). Class content is informed by the scholarly literature on philosophy and the history of physics and astronomy. Subject matter is divided into thirteen chronological topics: Ancient Skies, Greek Science, Revolutions, Telescopes, Gravity, Evolution, Mapping, Relativity, Quantum Theory, Stars and Atoms, Galaxies, the Big Bang, and Life in the Universe. The topics are presented at a rate of one per week during the standard university semester, and they are parsed into five two-hour sessions for the local community audience and seven weeks of self-paced video lectures for the online MOOC audience.

Este trabalho descreve o planejamento e analisa a aplicação de um curso a distância de Astronomia em que participaram 17 alunos do Ensino Médio de uma escola da rede particular do sul de Minas Gerais. O curso ocorreu em um Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem e utilizou recursos como simulações, vídeos e textos. O foco da análise privilegiou uma compreensão de como esses recursos podem contribuir para melhorar o repertório de esquemas dos estudantes em situação. Para realizar este estudo, foi utilizada a Teoria dos Campos Conceituais, proposta por Gerard Vergnaud, como referencial para o planejamento do curso e para sua análise. Como resultados, destacamos a alternativa de interação entre professor e aluno que os ambientes virtuais podem proporcionar. Relativamente aos conceitos trabalhados, enfatizamos que para o conceito de Gravidade, há indícios de que os estudantes ampliaram seu repertório de esquemas sobre a relação entre massa e força gravitacional.

Earning any advanced degree in physics or astronomy is an arduous process and major accomplishment. However, not every journey to the Ph.D. is paved equally. Every year, there are hundreds of students who earn terminal master's degrees in physics and astronomy in the United States. A master's degree on its own is sufficient qualification for many good careers, but for a portion of these students, the master's degree is not the final step in graduate education. When students with master's degrees decide to continue their education and are accepted to Ph.D. programs, they often find that their credits do not transfer and that they will be required to redo large portions of their master's degree at their new Ph.D.-granting institution. Here we discuss the need for gathering more data to understand both the different pathways to a Ph.D. and the students that choose each route. We also discuss some of the challenges faced by students that earn a master's degree before beginning a Ph.D. program. As students in the physical sciences that complete a master's and a Ph.D. at different schools take over 2 years longer to reach a Ph.D. than students that get both degrees from the same school, we suggest steps that can be taken to help these students succeed in a timely manner.

In the research, the knowledge structures (mental model) of the students regarding rotation, revolution, daily and annual movements of the world were analyzed. The research was designed according to the mixed method model in which qualitative and quantitative research methods are used together in data collection process. The research was conducted with the participation of seventy-five fourth grade students. Criterion sampling, one of the purposeful sampling methods, was used in determining the participants. Research data were obtained from knowledge structures test and interview form. Chi-Square Goodness-of-Fit Test, percentage and frequency were used in the analysis of the quantitative data obtained from the knowledge structures test, and the descriptive analysis method was used in the analysis of the verbal data obtained from the interview form. As a result of the research; students gave answers that showed cognitive inconsistency to different questions about the rotation, revolution, daily and annual movements of the Earth. These findings show that the knowledge structures of the majority of the students participating in the study are in accordance with the knowledge in pieces structure theory.

The aim of this research is to determine the mistakes and misconceptions of secondary school students in the data processing learning domain. The sample of the research consists of 69 students studying at the eighth-grade level in a secondary school in the north of Turkey. The "Data Processing Test" consisting of open-ended items, a two-stage diagnostic test and a concept cartoon, was used as a data collection tool. The data were analyzed based on the content analysis technique, and the answers given by the students to the test were coded as mistakes and misconceptions. While distinguishing between mistakes and misconceptions, the answers given to different questions related to a learning outcome were evaluated together. While situations such as lack of attention were coded as a mistake; having the same mindset in similar questions was coded as a misconception. In addition, descriptive sections were presented by taking direct examples from student answers. Depending on the answers given by the students, common categories including both mistakes and misconceptions were reached. Apart from common categories, there are also categories that contain only cases of mistake or misconception. It was found that the students mostly made the mistake of "calculating the median without sorting the data set". The most common misconceptions are "not being able to make sense of the usage areas of graphs", "creating an area in a circle graph according to the size of the data", and" interpreting the line graph according to the figure without paying attention to the scale".

Fen Bilimleri ogretim programinin temel hedeflerinden biri arastiran ve sorgulayan bireyler yetistirmektir. Bu amac dogrultusunda fen bilimleri ogretim programinda ogrencinin kendi ogrenmelerinden sorumlu oldugu, etkin olarak ogrenme surecine dahil edildigi, ogrencilerin bilgiyi anlamli ve kalici olarak ogrenebildigi bir ogrenme yaklasimi olan arastirma sorgulamaya dayali ogretim stratejisi benimsenmektedir (MEB, 2017:12). Bu calismanin amaci, 2008-2018 yillari arasinda, Arastirma Sorgulamaya Dayali Ogrenme (ASDO) Yaklasimina iliskin fen egitimi alaninda yapilmis yayinlari cesitli degiskenler acisindan incelemektir. Calismada, ASDO ile ilgili tezlerden turetilen makaleler cikarildiktan sonra 47 makale, 42 yuksek lisans tezi ve 26 doktora tezi olmak uzere toplam 115 calismaya ulasilmistir. Calismada dokuman analizi teknigi kullanilmistir. Veriler dokuman inceleme yoluyla toplanmis, icerik cozumlemesi ile analizi yapilmistir.  Elde edilen sonuclar yuzde ve frekans degerleri olarak yan...

En este trabajo se presenta una actividad enmarcada en la Teoría Antropológica de lo Didáctico y en el enfoque de enseñanza STEM. La misma se realiza en el nivel secundario, habiendo sido adaptada de otra realizada en el nivel universitario, con el objetivo es vivenciar nuevas formas de hacer ciencia. Se propone investigar sobre una pregunta disparadora del área de la óptica, en especial de la fotometría. Para dar respuesta, se utiliza tecnología de bajo costo y al alcance de la mayoría de los jóvenes y docentes: dispositivos móviles y el software GeoGebra. Se describe la actividad y se presentan resultados. Finalmente se concluye que este estilo de iniciativa, en concordancia con las actuales tendencias de enseñanza y aprendizaje de las ciencias, es posible de desarrollar en cursos habituales de nivel secundario.

Astronomy is considered by many to be a gateway science owing to its ability to inspire curiosity in everyone irrespective of age, culture, or general inclination towards science. Currently, where there is a global push to get more students engaged in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, astronomy provides an invaluable conduit to achieve this shift. This paper highlights the results of a study which has reviewed the presence and extent to which astronomy has been incorporated into the school curriculum of the Organisation for Economic and Cooperative Development (OECD) member countries. In addition, two others strong in astronomy research, China and South Africa, are included together with the International Baccalaureate Diploma science curriculum. A total of 52 curricula from 37 countries were reviewed. The results reveal that astronomy and its related topics are prevalent in at least one grade in all curricula. Of the 52 curricula, 44 of them had astronomy-related topics in grade 6, 40 introduced astronomy-related topics in grade 1, whilst 14 had astronomy-related topics explicitly mentioned in all grades. At all year levels, celestial motion is the dominant content area; however, topics such as stars, physics, cosmology, and planetary science become much more frequent as a proportion towards the higher year levels. The most common keywords employed in the curricula related to basic astronomy concepts were the Earth, Sun, Moon, and stars, all with a high frequency of use. There is hardly any focus on Indigenous Astronomy or the role of prominent women astronomers. Relational textual analysis using Leximancer revealed that all the major concepts could be encompassed within two broad themes: Earth and Physics. Astronomy and Physics are often seen as different domains, with astronomy content being more facts based, than based on concepts.

One way to achieve a higher level of agreement on the nature of science (NOS) within the science education community is to embrace the two major documents, Benchmarks for Science Literacy (1993) and National Science Education Standards (1996). Both Benchmarks and Standards have many statements on the nature of science that can be used as the basis for research in this area of science literacy. This paper reports a study of the development and field test of a questionnaire based on the NOS information in Benchmarks and Standards. (WRM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

On April 20, 2023, the Southwest Papua region was the areas crossed by a hybrid solar eclipse. This outreach  aims  to enhance the  community's  understanding  and  awareness  regarding  the  safety of solar eclipse observation by conducting observations at several locations in Southwest Papua. The solar eclipse education and observation Program was successfully implemented in 6 Regencies/Cities in  Southwest  Papua.  This  activity  was  carried  out  using  mini-lectures,  pinhole  training,  and  joint eclipse  observations.  In  general,  this  programcan  increase  public  understanding  and  awareness regarding the safety of observing solar eclipses, with the training participants' response score being 79.92% in the good category. Apart from that, this program has succeeded in touching and opening people's  insight  into  this  fascinating  natural  phenomenon  through  widespread  publication  in  the mass media, both regional and national

We present trigonometric parallaxes of 64 stellar systems with proper motions between 0. ′′ 5 yr −1 and 1. ′′ 0 yr −1 from the ongoing RECONS (Research Consortium On Nearby Stars) parallax program at CTIO (the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory). All of the systems are south of DEC = +30, and 58 had no previous trigonometric parallaxes. In addition to parallaxes for the systems, we present proper motions, Johnson-Kron-Cousins V RI photometry, variability measurements, and spectral types. Nine of the systems are multiple; we present results for their components, three of which are new astrometric detections. Of the 64 systems, 56 are within 25 parsecs of the Sun and 52 of those are in the southern hemisphere, comprising 5.7% of the total number of known southern 25 parsec systems.

O nosso projeto consiste em um estudo, em sequência, da astronomia,mostrando a evolução da mesma através do passar dos anos. Iniciando na Astronomia Antiga, com nomes como o de Ptolomeu, que acreditava no modelo geocêntrico. Passando para a era da Astronomia Medieval, que já se estudava o modelo heliocêntrico, até chegar a Nova Astronomia, que passou a ter estudos mais avançados, como a lei da gravitação universal de Isaac Newton. Atualmente estamos na era da Astronomia Contemporânea, com astrônomos mais conhecidos, como Stephen Hawking e com temas mais complexos como o estudo de buracos negros e a relação com a física quântica. Tudo isso será apresentado em um site informativo e interativo

El Grupo Astronómico Osiris es un equipo de trabajo integrado por docentes y estudiantes de nivel medio que  forma parte del programa Miradas al cielo de la Universidad Nacional de Río Negro y del Instituto de Formación Docente de El Bolsón. Su objetivo es enseñar y difundir la astronomía a partir de propuestas que permitan vincular a los jóvenes y adultos con la observación de su propio entorno celeste. El grupo se reúne semanalmente en horario extraescolar a aprender sobre astronomía y, al mismo tiempo, a organizar actividades dirigidas a otros estudiantes y a la comunidad. Se realizan talleres en escuelas, charlas para todo público, videos educativos, funciones de planetario, cursos de capacitación, encuentros para jóvenes, observaciones del cielo, eventos para observar eclipses, entre otros. Osiris funciona desde 2005 en El Bolsón, y desde 2014 también en Bariloche, contando con más de 67.000 participantes en sus actividades y habiendo obtenido diferentes distinciones.