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Abstract Title: An investigation of Irish students’ alternative conceptions of astronomy
Abstract: The challenges of teaching astronomy concepts at post-primary education have been well documented in the literature. Meaningful teaching of astronomy is conceptually demanding, as some of the scientific explanation for everyday natural events are not obvious and sometimes counter-intuitive. Consequently, students hold various misconceptions and can develop negative attitudes about astronomy learning. In order to support the development of more robust conceptual knowledge in students, it is crucial to understand the alternative conceptions that students bring to the classroom, and how these must be considered and dealt with through instruction. In this presentation, we will report the alternative conceptions elicited from 483 Irish students aged between 12 to 16 years from a quasi-experimental study focused on four astronomical phenomena: seasons, the Earth's motion in space, gravity and the origin of our universe. In addition, our results suggest how to construct learning experiences to tackle student misconceptions.
Abstract Type: Contributed Poster Presentation
Session Time: Poster Session II
Poster Number: 2.I4

Author/Organizer Information

Primary Contact: Adriana Cardinot
National University of Ireland Galway
Galway, Non U.S. H91TK33
Co-Author(s)
and Co-Presenter(s)
Jessamyn Fairfield, National University of Ireland Galway