ARTIGOS INTERNACIONAIS (S.A.B.E.R.)

Reprodução integral da lista de referências bibliográficas que contém artigos relacionados com a educação em astronomia desde a década de 1970 até julho de 2006, denominada SABER, Searchable Annotated Bibliography of Education Research in astronomy (BRISSENDEN, BRUNING e SLATER, 2001).

Astronomy Education Research: An Annotated Bibliography

American Journal of Physics

Bailey, J.M., and Slater, T.F. (2005).

"Resource Letter AER-1: Astronomy education research," American Journal of Physics, 73 (8), 677-685.

Listing of 135 research articles, review articles, books, dissertations, bibliographies, web sites and conference proceedings related to astronomy education research. Covers elementary, secondary and university instructional levels and separates research articles by astronomical topic. A good place to start a literature review for new research in astronomy education.

Zeilik, M., Schau, C. and Mattern, N. (1999).

"Conceptual astronomy. II. Replicating conceptual gains, probing attitude changes across three semesters," American Journal of Physics, 67 (10), 923-927.

Students show large gains in conceptual understanding during one-semester conceptually-based astronomy course. No relationship found between course achievement and completion of previous courses in math or science. Little change during semester of students' slightly positive attitude toward science and astronomy. A small to moderate relationship exists between students' science self-image and course achievement.

Zeilik, M., Schau, C., Mattern, N., Hall, S., Teague, K.W. and Bisard, W. (1997).

"Conceptual astronomy: A novel model for teaching post-secondary science courses," American Journal of Physics, 65(10), 987-996.

Instructional model identified basic concepts and their inter-relationships, and identified student prior knowledge and misconceptions. Used various instructional strategies targeted toward conceptual understanding. Evaluation used three measures of conceptual understanding and one for attitude. Students (N = 84-111) showed large increases in conceptual understanding but attitudes changed from slightly positive to negative over one-semester astronomy course.

Zeilik II, M. (1981).

"Flexible, mastery-oriented astrophysics sequence," American Journal of Physics, 49 (9), 827-829.

Results of a PSI junior-level astrophysics course (N=16) compared to a traditional course. Students in the PSI sections had better attitudes and felt better supported than the traditional students in terms of developing professional skills, competencies, points of view, skills in oral and written expression, and understanding of fundamental principles and theories.

Bienick, R.J. and Zeilik II, M. (1976).

"Follow-up study of a PSI astronomy course," American Journal of Physics, 44 (7), 695-696.

Looks at results of a continuing PSI course 2 years after the first study (N=11-12 per term). Students' positive attitudes about PSI are largely independent of institution or instructor.

Zeilik II, M. (1974).

"A PSI astronomy course," American Journal of Physics, 42 (12), 1095-1100.

Compares PSI course (N=10) to traditional lecture course (N=30).

Zeilik II, M. (1973).

"Astrology in introductory astronomy courses for nonscience specialists" American Journal of Physics, 41 (8), 961-964.

Analysis of pre-course, student response interest surveys (N=137) indicating constellations was the most popular topic students hoped would be taught, followed by astrobiology and astrology (tied for second).

Astronomy Education Review

Francis, P. (2005).

"Using role-playing games to teach astronomy: An evaluation," Astronomy Education review, 4 (2), 1-9.

5000 students at 30 schools and universities around the world have used role-playing games during the last eight years in introductory astronomy courses. Students play the roles of competing researchers to solve an astronomical problem. The author reviews how they work, some clues as to why they are effective, and how they can fail. A common problem is that students can become overly political. Students repeatedly comment on how the games changed their attitudes toward the scientific process.

Allen, M.L., and Kelly-Riley, D. (2005).

"Promoting undergraduate critical thinking in Astro 101 lab exercises," Astronomy Education Review, 4 (2), 10-19.

A critical thinking component has been folded into introductory astronomy lab exercises for undergraduate nonscience majors. The exercises have a series of probing questions and a formal grading rubric adapted from the Washington State University Guide to rating critical thinking. Motivation, implementation and results of two years of use are presented.

Bardar, E.M., Prather, E.E., Brecher, K., and Slater, T.F. (2005).

"The need for a light and spectroscopy concept inventory for assessing innovations in introductory astronomy survey courses," Astronomy Education Review, 4 (2), 20-27.

Describes the development of the Light and Spectroscopy Concept Inventory (LSCI). The testing and validation of the instrument was underway at the time of publication.

Berendsen, M.L. (2005).

"Conceptual astronomy knowledge among amateur astronomers," Astronomy Education Review, 4 (1), 1-18.

Survey of amateur astronomers using a version of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT 2) on the web; 1164 amateurs responded voluntarily to e-mails soliciting participation. 21 clubs had 12 or more members responding (321 responses of 1164 total). Overall, amateurs had a mean score of 76 compared to 47 for undergraduates after they finish their first astronomy course. The paper also describes percentages and demographics of amateur astronomers doing outreach.

Kavanagh, C., Agan, L., and Sneider, C. (2005).

"Learning about phases of the Moon and eclipses: A guide for teachers and curriculum developers," Astronomy Education Review, 4 (1), 19-52.

A review of research and instructional methods regarding lunar phases and eclipses. The authors conclude that misconceptions about lunar phases are highly resistant to change, that fifth to sixth grade is the earliest that instruction can begin to change ideas about phases, that direct instruction using images of the Moon in different places in its orbit does not make sense unless the student already understands lunar phases, and that constructivist methods are most effective in teaching the cause of lunar phases. Ideas for future research are presented.

Taasoobshirazi, G., and Hickey, D.T. (2005).

"Promoting argumentative discourse: A design-based implementation and refinement of an astronomy multimedia curriculum, assessment model, and learning environment," Astronomy Education Review, 4 (1), 53-70.

Used Astronomy Village investigations in a high school astronomy class (grades 11 and 12; 9 male and 6 female students) for a four-week 20-hour curriculum. Two groups (high interest and low interest of 3 students were videotaped during conversations. The number of rebuttals during conversations increased, indicating a higher level of conversation, but overall quality of conversation did not improve for either group. Results of a standards-oriented test did not show a significant pretest/posttest gain. Discusses problems in engaging students in argumentative discourse.

Brunsell, E., and Marcks, J. (2005).

"Identifying a baseline for teachers' astronomy content knowledge," Astronomy Education Review, 3 (2), 38-46.

Professional development designers for in-service teachers should have an understanding of the knowledge base of their audience. The authors administered the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT 2) to 142 science teachers in Wisconsin attending a weeklong summer space science workshop; 43 taught K-4, 73 taught grades 5-8, and 26 taught grades 9-12. The ADT mean scores were 35%, 50% and 64%, respectively. While the middle- and high-school teachers scored higher than the posttest scores of nonscience undergraduates, all groups scored lower than nonscience undergraduates taking advanced astronomy courses.

Bailey, J.M. and Slater, T.F. (2005).

"Finding the forest amid the trees: Tools for evaluating astronomy education and public outreach projects," Astronomy Education Review, 3 (2), 47-60.

A brief how-to guide to educational project evaluation. Discusses type of evaluation, selection of evaluation tools, alignment of evaluation activities with project goals, and methods of data collection. Examples from astronomy and earth/space science illustrate important ideas.

Zeilik, M., and Morris-Dueer, V.J. (2005).

"What are essential concepts in 'Astronomy 101'? A new approach to find consensus from two different samples of instructors," Astronomy Education Review, 3 (2), 61-108.

44 participants at American Association of Physics Teachers' workshops on teaching astronomy were asked to rank 200 concepts often taught in Astro 101. The authors also asked an expert panel of 18 Astro 101 instructors to rank the same list; the expert panel was also asked to judge the relatedness of pairs of terms, from which a ranking of concepts was made. The authors conclude that there is reasonable consensus about essential topics in Astro 101. Lists top 10 and bottom 10 concepts, as well as rankings for all 200 concepts.

Prather, E.E., Slater, T.F., Adams, J.P., Bailey, J.M., Jones, L.V., and Dostal, J.A. (2004).

"Research on a lecture-tutorial approach to teaching instroductory astronomy for nonscience majors," Astronomy Education Review, 3 (2), 122-136.

A study of the effectiveness of an instructional strategy that employed short (~15 minute) Socratic-dialogue curriculum materials into a large lecture course. Lecture raised students' understanding from 30 to 50% on a conceptual multiple choice test, use of lecture-tutorials raised scores to 70%.

Fraknoi, A.F. (2004).

"Insights from a survey of astronomy Instructors in community and other teaching-oriented colleges in the United States," Astronomy Education Review, 3 (1), 7-16.

A survey of 400 introductory astronomy instructors at community and nonresearch oriented colleges, detailing instructors' educational background, institutional facilities, teaching loads, supply and equipment budgets, and many other aspects of the teaching environment.

Slater, T.F., and Jones, L.V. (2004).

"Assessment of an internet-delivered interactive approach to introductory astronomy for non-science majors," Astronomy Education Review, 3 (1), 17-25.

Compares the effectiveness of a web-based course with a learner-centered, on-campus course. The online course accomplished its goals and students achieved acceptable levels of achievement, the on-campus course yielded significantly higher achievement gains.

Byrd, G.G., Coleman, S., and Werneth, C. (2004).

"Exploring the universe together: Cooperative quizzes with and without a classroom performance system in astronomy 101," Astronomy Education Review, 3 (1), 26-30.

To avoid attendance issues and students not studying until just prior to exams, the authors implemented a cooperative quiz. The final exam score increased 23% compared to prior a term that didn't use cooperative quizzes. Use of a classroom performance system for the cooperative quizzes in lieu of written quizzes did not change the improvement seen in final exam scores. Students also evaluated the courses using cooperative quizzes higher than the previous term.

Lippert, N., and Partridge, B. (2004).

"To hear ourselves as others hear us," Astronomy Education Review, 3 (1), 31-50.

Used a Likert-scale for 13 questions to survey non-science students (N=38) at the end of an introductory astronomy course whether the course was effective in meeting the American Astronomical Society's Astro 101 goals. Students value physical content and quantitative reasoning goals less, and cosmic perspective, learning about the night sky, and increased confidence in their critical faculties the most. Uses a mixture of student and instructor comments to discuss the evaluations and course design.

Zeilik, M., and Morris, V.J. (2004).

"The impact of cooperative quizzes in a large introductory astronomy course for non-science majors," Astronomy Education Review, 3 (1), 51-61.

Students take quizzes individually, then meet with their cooperative learning group to discuss the answer. At the end of the discussion, the students have the opportunity to use their original answer or to change to the group's consensus response (or any other response). The cooperative quizzes resulted in a gain of about 0.4 (Hake gain), from individual quiz to post-discussion scores. Using the identical question sin exams later taken only by students individually shows that the gains were sustained one month later.

Agan, L. (2004).

"Stellar ideas: Exploring students' understanding of stars," Astronomy Education review, 3 (1), 77-97.

High-school and first-year undergraduate students were interviewed to determine their understanding of the nature of the Sun and stars and the distances between stars. High school students who were enrolled in an astronomy course tended to focus on nuclear fusion as the energy-production process as a defining characteristic of a star, while nonastronomy students focused on characteristics such as size and color.

Zirbel, E.L. (2004).

"Framework for conceptual change," Astronomy Education Review, 3 (1), 62-76.

Reviews the nature of and source of misconceptions and promotes a conceptual change model of instruction as a means of modifying student beliefs.

Partridge, B., and Greenstein, G. (2003).

"Goals for 'Astro 101': Report on workshops for department leaders," Astronomy Education Review, 2 (2), 46-89.

Reports on a set of goals for introductory astronomy courses for nonscience undergraduate students developed during two workshops attended by astronomy department chairs and other department leaders. The goals are broken into two categories: content; and skills, values and attitudes. The content goals are general and do not specify a curriculum or specific topics; instead student development is emphasized over content. The report includes suggestions and strategies on how to meet these goals.

Agan, L., and Sneider, C. (2003).

"Learning about the Earth's shape and gravity: A guide for teachers and curriculum developers," Astronomy Education Review, 2 (2), 90-117.

A review of 13 educational research studies about Earth's shape and gravity concepts. Describes research instruments and possible models of understanding. Analysis of the various studies suggests that third graders are too young to unravel their misconceptions about a spherical earth and gravity, but that fourth and fifth graders appear ready to do so.

Simonelli, G. and Pilachowski, C.A. (2003)

"First-year college students' ideas about astronomy: A pilot study," Astronomy Education Review, 2 (2) 166-171.

Results of an open-ended question about the formation of the solar system given to 148 undergraduate nonscience majors. less than one-third described accretion-like processes, although none were complete as a scientific explanation. The most common misconception is that solar system formed as part of the big bang.

Bailey, J.M. and Slater, T.F. (2003).

"A review of astronomy education research," Astronomy Education Review, 2 (2), 20-45.

A comprehensive review of astronomy education research categorized by concept. It provides suggestions for future research.

Straits, W.J., and Wilke, R.R. (2003).

"Activities-based astronomy: An evaluation of an instructor's first attempt and its impact on student characteristics," Astronomy Education Review, 2 (1), 46-64.

Nonscience undergraduate students (N=45) in an activities-based introductory astronomy course performed as well as those in a traditional lecture course, but the students in the activities-based course had a significant reduction in selfefficacy with regard to science. The study used the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT 2) to assess achievement, and a 24-question instrument to measure attitudes toward science and instruction as well as self-efficacy. Activities led to confusion; activities were most effective when they helped students visualize spatial relationships, provided equal opportunity for engagement, and were clearly related to course content.

Zeilik, M. and Morris, V.J. (2003).

"An examination of misconceptions in an astronomy course for science, mathematics and engineering majors," Astronomy Education Review 2 (1), 101-119.

Using a multiple-choice instrument, the study identified misconceptions held by science, mathematics and engineering undergraduates in two college-level courses. The misconceptions were similar to those exhibited by nonscience majors and gains made were similar to those made by nonscience majors in a conceptually based course. An attitude survey demonstrated a positive, incoming belief that did not alter over one semester, although SME majors had higher initial scores.

Casey, T.L., and Slater, T.F. (2002).

"A comparison of group and individually completed course evaluations in introductory astronomy," Astronomy Education Review, 1 (2), 1-4.

Mid-course evaluations by 283 individual students and 84 collaborative groups were analyzed according to recurring themes. Individual student evaluations do not differ significantly from those completed by the groups, indicating that instructors can obtain meaningful feedback from a smaller number of surveys completed by groups.

Cabanela, J., and Partridge, B. (2003).

"So what is the astronomy major?" Astronomy Education Review, 1 (2), 67-84.

Presents a statistical description of the astronomy major in 61 U.S. colleges and universities. Physics requirements for the astronomy major are fairly uniform from institution to institution, but astronomy requirements have substantial variation. There is little difference, on average, between requirements at 4-year colleges versus universities.

Morrow, C.A. (2003).

"Misconceptions scientists often have about the K-12 National Science Education Standards," Astronomy Education Review, 1 (2), 85-94.

Seven common misconceptions about the National Science Education Standards were identified during educational activities with scientists. While some of these ideas stem from a lack of awareness and are easy to address, others are based in deeply rooted beliefs and experiences. Misconceptions relate to the nature and use of the Standards as well as their relationship to scientific research.

Zeilik II, M. (2003).

"Birth of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test: Prototest evolution," Astronomy Education Review, 1 (2), 46-52.

Early development of the ADT.

Miller, E. (2003).

"The gender gap in cosmology: Results from a small case study of undergraduates," Astronomy Education Review, 1(2), 35-45.

Three male and three female non-science undergraduate students were interviewed in an effort to gain insight into why males score higher on the pre-test of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT). The study reveals that female students consistently estimate the scale of the universe to be smaller, especially outside the solar system; have less confidence about their answers, even when they are correct; and have less previous exposure to astronomy through media sources and public outreach events.

Prather, E.E., Slater, T.F., and Offerdahl, E.G. (2002).

"Hints of a fundamental misconception in cosmology," Astronomy Education Review, 1 (2), 28-34.

Open-ended surveys administered to 1000 middle-school students, high-school students, and undergraduate science and non-science majors showed that 70% of students at all age levels describe the Big Bang as an event that occurred to and with pre-existing matter, suggesting that they are using a phenomenological primitive idea of "you can't make something from nothing" in their reasoning strategies.

Offerdahl, E.G., Prather, E.E., Slater, T.F. (2002).

"Students' pre-instructional beliefs and reasoning strategies about astrobiology concepts," Astronomy Education Review, 1 (2), 5-27.

Four different open-ended surveys administered to 2000 middle-school students, high-school students, and undergraduate science and non-science majors showed that students understand, across grade-levels, that life can exist without sunlight, life requires at least intermittent water, and life forms can exist in extreme cold. They were largely unable to articulate any scientific reasons for their beliefs and almost always referred to macro-organisms rather than to the more ubiquitous micro-organisms.

Fraknoi, A. (2002).

"Enrollments in Astronomy 101 courses: An update," Astronomy Education Review, 1 (1), 121-123.

Describes the enrollment in introductory astronomy classes across the U.S. as 250,000 students. The main source of data is the American Institute of Physics survey of physics and astronomy departments.

Deming, G. (2002).

"Results from the Astronomy Diagnostic Test national project," Astronomy Education Review, 1 (1), 52-57.

Pre-course surveys were taken by 5300 students; post-course surveys were taken by 3800 students. Females scored consistently lower on the test than males.

Hufnagel, B. (2002).

"Development of the Astronomy Diagnostic Test," Astronomy Education Review, 1 (1), 47-51.

Describes the development process and the ADT and its reliability and validity testing.

Zeilik, M., Bisard, W.J. and Lee, C.(2002).

"Research-based reformed astronomy: Will it travel?" Astronomy Education Review, 1 (1), 33-46.

Describes the transfer from one institution to another of a course using concept mapping as a central focus of its educational model. At the second institution, cooperative learning teams were used in one section and not in a second. In both cases, the second institution gains in concept map assessments was the same as at the original institution, indicating that the educational model can be transferred to different institutions and instructors with success.

Brissenden, G., Slater, T.F., Mathieu, R.D., and NISE College Level-One Team (2002).

"The role of assessment in the development of the college introductory astronomy course,"Astronomy Education Review, 1 (1), 1-24.

Provides a practical how-to guide for doing assessment of student learning. Presents several assessment techniques to help instructors evaluate which course goals are being achieved, to help guide students toward desired learning outcomes, and to improve student self-evaluation of understanding.

Adams, J.P., Brissenden, G., Lindell, R.S., Slater, T.F., and Wallace, J. (2002).

"Observation of student behavior in collaborative learning groups,"Astronomy Education Review, 1 (1), 25-32.

Observed the behavior of 270 undergraduates in an introductory astronomy course; the students self-formed 48 groups. Their observed behaviors were described as: actively engaged, watching actively, watching passively, and disengaged. Male behavior is consistent regardless of the sex-composition of the group.Females were categorized as watching passively or disengaged when working in groups that contained uneven numbers of males and females (either females in the majority or the minority).

Australian Science Teachers Journal

Skam, K. (1994).

"Determining misconceptions about astronomy," Australian Science Teachers Journal, 40 (3), 63-67.

Students believe that moon phases are caused by Earth's shadow. Used a card-sorting approach where students are given cards with statements and are challenged to state whether they agree, do not agree or do not know.

Finegold, M. and Pundak, D. (1990).

"Students' conceptual framework in astronomy," Australian Science Teachers Journal, 36 (2), 76-83.

Survey of 1228 students ages 12-17 years from 12 schools using a 15-item multiple-choice instrument; items use distractors representing four frameworks that appeared in initial interviews: pre-scientific, geocentric, heliocentric and sidereal. 42% of students use a sidereal framework and 10% consistently use a pre-scientific framework; this profile changes surprisingly little as students proceed through school.

Smith, C.L. and Treagust, D.F. (1988).

"Not understanding gravity limits students' comprehension of astronomy concepts," Australian Science Teachers Journal, 33 (4), 21-24.

High proportion of Australian students aged 8 to 13 believe a planet's gravity is related to its distance from the Sun, and that the Sun influences not only the planet's orbit but its surface gravity as well. Many students also believe that a

planet's surface temperature impacts its gravity, and that a planet's rotation is dependent on its position with respect to the Sun.

Cognitive Development

Samarapungavan, A., Vosniadou, S. and Brewer, W.F. (1996).

"Mental models of the Earth, Sun and Moon: Indian children's cosmologies," Cognitive Development, 11 (4), 491-521.

Indian children were interviewed. In places where both folk and scientific cosmologies are accessible to the children, aspects of the folk cosmologies are often incorporated into the children's ideas. Hyderabad children often describe a spherical Earth supported by a body of water, a description that is not found in American children's initial cosmologies.

Cognitive Psychology

Vosniadou, S. and Brewer, W.F. (1992).

"Mental models of the Earth: A study of conceptual change in childhood," Cognitive Psychology, 24 (4), 535-585.

Sixty students from first, third and fifth grades were asked questions about the shape of the earth; students responded with conflicting ideas about the roundness of earth and that it has an edge over which people could fall, suggesting that their model is not that of a sphere.

Cognitive Science

Vosniadou, S. and Brewer, W.F. (1994).

"Mental models of day-night cycle," Cognitive Science, 18 (1), 123-183.

Surveys 60 students from first, third and fifth grades about the cause of day and night; the youngest children formulated explanations describing rising and setting based upon everyday experience, whereas older children used a model of a moving earth with a fixed Sun and Moon. Only a small portion of older children described mental models consistent with scientific explanations.

Developmental Science

Nobes, G., Moore, D.G., Martin, A.E., Clifford, B.R., Butterworth, G., Panagiotaki, G. and Siegal,M. (2003).

"Children's understanding of the Earth in a multicultural community: Mental models or fragments of knowledge?," Developmental Science, 6 (1), 72-85.

Asian and white British students ages 4-8 (N=167) were asked to select an earth from a set of plastic models and then respond to forced-choice questions. There were no significant differences in performance after accounting for language differences. Evidence suggests that children hold fragmentary knowledge rather than mental models, as suggested by previous researchers.

EOS Transactions

DeLaughter, J.E., Stein, S., Stein, C.A. & Bain, K.R. (1998).

"Preconceptions abound among students in an introductory earth science course," EOS Transactions, 79 (36), 429-432.

Student-supplied-response exam (N=149) shows non-science-major undergraduate students often combine multiple incorrect ideas into larger incorrect responses. 20% of students described the Sun as orbiting Earth and that the Moon orbits the Sun just like the Moon does. Nearly 50% said the Moon orbits the Earth once per day. 12% drew sketches of Earth indicating that at least part of Earth is flat.

European Journal of Psychology Education

Diakidoy, I.A., Vosniadou, S. and Hawks, J.D. (1997).

"Conceptual change in astronomy: Models of the Earth and of the day-night cycle in American-Indian children," European Journal of Psychology Education, 12 (2), 159-184. (erratum: 12 (4), 511, 1997.)

Twenty-six Lakota/Dakota students were interviewed. They held models to explain the Earth and seasons similar to students in previous studies. Earth as a hollow sphere was preferred, being closest to the description of Earth in Lakota mythology.

European Journal of Science Education

Osborne, R.J. & Gilbert, J.K. (1980).

"A method for investigating concept understanding in science," European Journal of Science Education, 2, 311-371.

Describes a highly effective and systematic interviewing strategy appropriate for investigating student conceptions finding students have misconceptions about gravity.

European Journal of Teacher Education

Kallery, M. (2001).

"Early-years educators attitudes to science and pseudo-science: The case of astronomy and astrology," European Journal of Teacher Education, 24 (3), 329-342.

Study of 103 elementary teachers in which 60 percent were found to believe in astrology to some extent and that 59% considered astrology and astronomy to be equally "scientific". Possible effects on the teachers' students are discussed.

Human Development

Schoultz, J., Saljo, R., and Wyndhamn, J. (2001).

"Heavenly talk: Discourse, artifacts, and children's understanding of elementary astronomy" Human Development, 44, 103-118.

Review of research on Earth's shape and gravity, primarily by Vosniadou and colleagues, from a framework of situated cognition.

Innovative Higher Education

Hemenway, M.K., Straits, W.J., Wilke, R.R., and Hufnagel, B. (2002).

"Educational research in an introductory astronomy course," Innovative Higher Education, 26 (4), 271-280.

Compares two instructional approaches to introductory astronomy for undergraduate nonscience majors. Students in an innovative course with hands-on, minds-on activities during lecture made significantly greater pretest/posttest gains on the Astronomy Diagnostic test (ADT) than students who took a conventional lecture-based course. However, student attitudes and self-efficacy did not show significant improvement in either course. These results were validated with classroom observations and interviews.

International Journal of Science Education

Taylor, I., Barker, M., and Jones, A. (2003).

"Promoting mental model building in astronomy education," International Journal of Science Education, 25 (10), 1205-1225.

Reviews a four-phase instructional strategy that deliberately promotes mental model building regarding the Sun-Earth-Moon system. Multiple data-collection strategies suggest that this strategy is effective but that all four phases are required.Most of the students had moved to scientific understanding by the end of the unit.

Bakas, C. and Mikropoulos, T. (2003).

"Design of virtual environments for the comprehension of planetary phenomena based on students' ideas," International Journal of Science Education, 25 (8), 949-967.

A virtual environment was created to support the teaching of planetary phenomena, such as the day night cycle and change of seasons. Results of a multiple choice questionnaire administered to 11-13 year-old students show that the majority of students modified misconceptions concerning the day-night cycle and seasons.

Dove, J. (2002).

"Does the man in the moon ever sleep? An analysis of student answers about simple astronomical events: a case study," International Journal of Science Education, 24 (8), 823-834.

12-year old students’ answers to an end-of-year science examination show that most are able to explain day and night but have more difficulty with explaining why the same side of the moon always faces the earth. A majority of students are able to explain why stars seem to move across the sky but not the direction of that motion.

Barnett, M., and Moran, J. (2002).

"Addressing children's alternative frameworks of the Moon's phases and eclipses," International Journal of Science Education, 24 (8), 859-879.

Interviews, students work, and conceptual surveys were used to investigate the effectiveness of an elementary, projectbased, space-science curriculum. Results suggest that scientific views can be achieved by elementary students with this type of instruction, which focused on helping students to identify their own ideas and reflect on how those ideas changed over time.

Trumper, R. (2001).

"A cross-age study of junior high school students' conceptions of basic astronomy concepts," International Journal of Science Education, 23 (1), 1111-1123.

Israeli junior-high students’ (age 13-15) understanding of basic astronomy concepts, such as the day/night cycle, eclipses, seasons, and altitude of the sun, was assessed using a multiple-choice questionnaire revealing a large discrepancy with the students’ conceptions and the corresponding scientific view.

Abell, S., Martini, M., and George, M. (2001).

"'That's what scientists have to do: Preservice elementary teachers' conceptions of the nature of science during a Moon investigation," International Journal of Science Education, 23 (11), 1095-1109.

After a six-week structured observation of Moon phases, preservice elementary education teachers realized that scientists make observations and generate patterns, but failed to recognize that observations could precede or follow theory building. They were largely unable to relate the activity to the nature of science. Students seemed to value the social dimensions of learning but were unable to apply them to the enterprise of science.

Roald, I. and Mikalsen, O. (2001).

"Configuration and dynamics of the Earth-Sun-Moon system: An investigation into conceptions of Deaf and Hearing Pupils," International Journal of Science Education,, 23 (4), 423-440.

Roald, I. and Mikalsen, O. (2000).

"What are the Earth and the heavenly bodies like? A study of objectual conceptions among Norwegian deaf and hearing pupils," International Journal of Science Education, 22 (4), 337-355.

Describes the conceptual understanding of earth's shape and gravity; shape and comparison of Sun, Moon and stars; day and night cycle; seasons; phases of the Moon, as held by deaf (ages 7, 9, 11 and 17 years) and hearing students (age 9 years; no difference was found between the two populations.

Parker, J. and Heywood, D. (1998).

"The Earth and beyond: Developing primary teachers' understanding of basic astronomical events," , 20 (5), 503-520.

Interviews conducted in and diagrams produced during a teacher-training program in England demonstrate that providing teachers with necessary skills and confidence to teach an understanding of basic astronomical events is much more complex than simply explicating science-content knowledge.

Sharp, J.G. (1996).

"Children's astronomical beliefs: A preliminary study of year 6 children in south-west England" International Journal of Science Education, 18 (6), 685-712.

Interviews of 42 10- and 11-year-olds reveals their ideas about Earth's shape, the Sun, Moon, solar system, stars, daynight cycle, seasons and lunar phases. Despite students' factual and procedural knowledge, they were still influenced by common sense ideas or direct observations that contradict scientific theory.

Arnold, P., Sarge, A. and Worrall, L. (1995).

"Children's knowledge of the Earth's shape and its gravitational field," International Journal of Science Education, 17(5), 635-641.

Drawings of earth created by children aged 7 to 11 were identified as one of six classifications. 36 percent created a "transitional representation" that showed a spherical Earth with people living on its surface but included contradictory notions about the direction of gravitational forces.

Baxter, J. (1989).

"Children's understanding of familiar astronomical events," International Journal of Science Education, 11, 502-513.

Many student (ages 9-16) conceptions are consistent across cultures. In addition, their ideas and explanations for sky events closely resemble ideas widespread in the middle ages and these ideas can evolve similarly to historical development with carefully sequenced instruction.

Jones, B.L., Lynch, P.P. and Reesink, C. (1987).

"Children's conceptions of the Earth, Sun and Moon," International Journal of Science Education, 9, 43-53.

32 students from the third and sixth grade were interviewed. general questions were asked first, then students were asked to select from a variety of physical models to support their answers. Students in the 6th grade were more likely to choose models and place them in locations that reflected the real shapes, sizes and spatial relationships between the Sun, Earth and Moon that were 3rd graders.

Journal of College Science Teaching

Allain, R. and Williams, T. (2006).

"The effectiveness of online homework in an introductory science class," Journal of College Science Teaching, 35 (6), 28-30.

Studied use of an automated online homework grading system and its effect of exam scores. While students reported spending more time preparing for the class when the homework was used, there was no difference in scores between groups that used the system and those that did not.

Christensen, T. (2005).

"Changing the learning environment in large general education astronomy classes," Journal of College Science Teaching, 35 (3), 34-38.

Presents results from a study of cooperative learning activities on score improvement from mid-term to final exam. In a lecture only course, students improved 5% on question repeated from mid-term exams on the final; with 8 activities per term, scores improved 24%. The author also presents statistics on web-based material use, study time (83% spend less than two hours per week), and ratings of various tools used in the learning environment (such as Just in Time Teaching).

Adams, J.P. and Slater, T.F. (2002).

"Learning through sharing: Supplementing the astronomy lecture with collaborative-learning group activities," Journal of College Science Teaching, 31 (6), 384-387.

Description of the implementation of collaborative learning groups in a 200-student introductory astronomy course. Using focus group interviews and end-of-semester questionnaires, the implementation details were refined over several semesters. The majority of students believed they were learning more through the use of the activities than they would through lecture alone. Lessons learned are also presented.

Zeilik, M., and Bisard, W.J. (2000).

"Conceptual change in introductory-level astronomy courses," Journal of College Science Teaching, 29 (4), 229-232.

Uses a multiple-choice misconceptions instrument to show that courses using collaborative group learning yields higher pretest/posttest achievement gains on common misconceptions than traditional lecture-based courses.

Adams, J.P. and Slater, T.F. (1998).

"Using action research to bring the large lecture course down to size," Journal of College Science Teaching, 28 (2), 87-90.

A series of astronomy action research studies including a high correlation between student self-report knowledge and examination scores.

Bisard, W.J. Aron, R.H., Francek, M.A., and Nelson, B.D. (1994).

"Assessing selected physical science and earth science misconceptions of middle school through university preservice teachers: Breaking the science 'misconception cycle'," Journal of College Science Teaching, 24 (1), 38-42.

Males score significantly higher than females at high school and entry-level college but the differences disappear for upper division college and at middle school level. Upper division students scored highest with elementary-education majors scoring about the same as middle and high school students. Students incorrectly note the Sun's position in the sky, the cause of the Moon's phases, the boiling point of water and the origin of magma, but did not struggle with seasons.

Journal of Educational Research

Rollins, M.M., Denton, J.J., and Janke, D.L. (1983).

"Attainment of selected earth science concepts by Texas high school seniors," Journal of Educational Research, 77 (5), 81-88.

Surveys 492 high-school seniors; students in suburban schools who have more science perform significantly better than students from small rural schools or students who had less than two years of science coursework. Most students were unsuccessful in relating basic concepts of seasons to higher order concepts. Only 79% could correctly identify concepts of night-day and 67% for seasons.

Journal of Geoscience Education

Salierno, C., Edelson, D., and Sherin, B. (2005).

"The development of student conceptions of the Earth-Sun relationship in an inquiry-based curriculum," Journal of Geoscience Education, 53 (4), 422-431.

Case study of three 5th grade students throughout their participation in a curriculum on Earth surface temperature using pre/post interviews shows that the students improved understanding of the central concepts. Novel misconceptions concerning sunlight reaching the earth and the effect of greenhouse gases are identified.

Adams, J.P. and Slater, T.F. (2000).

"Astronomy in the National Science Education Standards," Journal of Geoscience Education, 48 (1), 39-45.

Literature review of astronomy education research organized by the National Science Education Standards content learning objectives, divided by grade levels. It also proposes future areas of research.

Slater, T.F., Safko, J.L., and Carpenter, J.R. (1999).

"Long-term attitude sustainability from a constructivist-based astronomy-for-teachers course," Journal of Geoscience Education, 47 (4), 366-368.

Survey performed four years after in-service teachers (elementary and middle school) took a special astronomy course using constructivist approach. Attitudes and confidence toward teaching astronomy did not decline during this time, implying that properly designed courses have long-term effectiveness.

Slater, T.F., Carpenter, J.R. and Safko, J.L. (1996).

"Dynamics of a constructivist astronomy course for in-service teachers," Journal of Geoscience Education, 44 (6), 523-528.

25 in-service teachers (elementary and middle school) were taught astronomy in a 15-week special course using constructivist instructional strategies. Participants had improved attitudes toward teaching astronomy and made significant gains in astronomy knowledge.

Schoon, K.J. (1992).

"Students' alternative conceptions of Earth and space," Journal of Geological Education, 40 (3), 209-214.

Cross-age study of 1,213 elementary, secondary and adult students (U.S.) using an 18-item multiple-choice instrument showed widespread astronomical misconceptions exist across both genders, all racial groups, among urban and suburban students and across all five educational levels studied.

Journal of Research in Science Teaching

Tsai, C.-C. and Chang, C.-Y. (2005).

"Lasting effects of instruction guided by the conflict map: experimental study of learning about the causes of seasons," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 42 (10), 1089-1111.

A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 9th grade students in Taiwan on the cause of the seasons to compare traditional instruction with conflict map instruction. Instruction using the conflict map showed more potential for improving students’ understanding, especially in interviews conducted 8 months after instruction.

Kikas, E. (2004).

"Teachers' conceptions and misconceptions concerning three natural phenomena," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41 (5), 432-448.

Preservice, elementary, and secondary teachers’ conceptions of seasonal change, motion of objects and matter are explored using a questionnaire. Findings showed not only various misconceptions but also differences between phenomena and type of teacher.

Etkina, E., Matilsky, T., and Lawrence, M. (2003).

"Pushing to the edge: Rutgers astrophysics institute motivates talented high school students," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40 (10), 958-985.

Gifted high school students participated in a program to learn about contemporary science and its methods. Naturalistic and statistical methods were used to determine changes in students’ understanding as a result of participation. Results

showed students were able to distinguish between observational data and models, devise experiments, reflect on analysis and interpretation as well as change their approach towards learning science.

Shin, N., Honassen, D.H., and McGee, S. (2003).

"Predictors of well-structured and ill-structured problem solving in an astronomy simulation," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40 (1), 6-33.

This study compared the problem-solving skills required for solving well-structured problems and ill-structured problems in the context of a multimedia astronomy environment with 9th grade students. Open-ended questions were used to assess students' abilities. Domain knowledge and justification skills were significant predictors of well-structured problem-solving scores, whereas ill-structured problem-solving scores were significantly predicted by domain knowledge, justification skills, science attitudes, and regulation of cognition.

Trundle, K. C., Atwood, R.K., and Christopher, J.E. (2002).

"Preservice elementary teachers' conceptions of Moon phases before and after instruction," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39 (7), 633-658.

Interviews were conducted with preservice teachers who received instruction on moon phases through an inquiry-based physics course, and a control group that did not. Results indicate that without the instruction, most preservice teachers were likely to hold alternative conceptions and that the instruction appears to be more effective than instruction previously reported in the literature.

Akerson, V. L., Flick, L. B. and Lederman, N. G. (2000).

"The influence of primary children's ideas in science on teaching practice," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37 (4), 363-385.

Teachers' elicitation of elementary school students' astronomical ideas improves with experience and content knowledge. Less experienced, less knowledgeable teachers tend to squelch students' idea generation.

Barab, S. A., Hay, K. E., Barnett, M. and Keating, T. (2000).

"Virtual solar system project: Building understanding through model building," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37 (7), 719-756.

In college students, rich understanding of astronomical phenomena (specifically the earth-sun-moon system) is enhanced through student-created 3-D modeling and scientific inquiry using these models. Students worked in teams and the teacher acted as facilitator.

Brickhouse, N. W, Dagher, Z. R., Letts IV, W. J. and Shipman, H. L. (2000).

"Diversity of students' views about evidence, theory, and the interface between science and religion in an astronomy course," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37 (4), 340-362.

Clinical interviews with five students suggests that a focus on evidence and testable theories can impact the extent to which students demand and examine evidence, integrate scientific and religious views, and distinguish between scientific and nonscientific theories. Students can discuss individual theories more readily than they can explain what theories are and what constitutes justifiable evidence.

Stahly, L. L., Krockover, G. H. and Shepardson, D. P. (1999).

"Third grade students' ideas about the lunar phases," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 36 (2), 159-177.

Third grade students have scientifically accurate, and alternative, concepts about lunar phases. Conceptual change teaching strategies facilitate acquisition of scientifically accurate concepts for some students. Based on interviews and observations of 4 third-grade students pre- and post-instruction.

Sadler, P. M. (1998).

"Psychometric models of student conceptions in science: Reconciling qualitative studies and distractor-driven assessment instruments," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 35 (3), 265-296.

Multiple-choice tests that use common alternative conceptions as distractors may be useful for tracking development of students' scientifically accurate concepts. Includes implications for curriculum developers. The study included 1250 middle and secondary students, who showed that they often progressed from an inaccurate idea to a different inaccurate idea along a predictable path to a scientifically accurate understanding.

Atwood, R. K. and Atwood, V. A. (1996).

"Preservice elementary teachers' conceptions of the causes of seasons," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 33 (5), 553-563.

Study of 49 preservice elementary teachers demonstrates widely-held misconceptions about seasons; most common explanation is changing earth-Sun distance. Many students gave inconsistent written explanations as compared to verbal explanations, suggesting misconceptions about seasons might not be as firmly entrenched as commonly thought.

Barba, R. and Rubba, P. A. (1992).

"A comparison of pre-service and in-service earth and space science teachers' general mental abilities, content knowledge, and problem-solving skills," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29 (10), 1021-1035.

In-service teachers are more content knowledgeable in earth and space science than pre-service teachers. In-service teachers also use fewer steps to solve related problems.

Johnston, K. L. and Aldridge, B. G. (1985).

"Examining a mathematical model of mastery learning in a classroom setting," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 22 (6), 543-554.

Authors model student grades in introductory, college-level astronomy based on engaged time. Results show not all time-engagement is equal, affecting the accuracy of the model.

Mallon, G. L. and Bruce, M. H. (1982).

"Student achievement and attitudes in astronomy: An experimental comparison of two planetarium programs," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 19 (1), 53-61.

At smaller planetaria (15-75 seats), "participatory oriented" planetarium programs are more effective, with respect to content and attitude, than traditional "Star Show" programs for 8-10-year-olds.

Lu, P. K. (1978).

"Three integrative models of kinetic structure in teaching astronomy," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 15 (4), 249-258.

In introductory astronomy lectures, hierarchically presenting concepts leads to greater student learning than does presenting an overview of concepts which are then discussed in turn.

Wooley, J. K. (1978).

"Factors affecting students' attitudes and achievement in an astronomy computer-assisted instruction program," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 15 (2), 173-178.

Women in an introductory, college-level astronomy course exhibited lower learning gains and attitudes than male while using computer-assisted instruction. Speculated reason: too mechanical and impersonal.

Sunal, D. W. (1976).

"Analysis of research on the educational uses of a planetarium," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 13 (4), 345-349.

Classroom instruction alone is better than one-visit planetarium units at improving elementary content knowledge; combined planetarium-classroom units are best. Planetarium visits have better affective results.

Yost, M. (1973).

"Similarity of science textbooks: A content analysis," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 10 (4), 317-322.

There is very little consistency at each grade-level (4th, 5th, 6th) as to what science textbook authors think students should learn about astronomy.

Janke, D. L. and Pella, M. O. (1972).

"Earth science concept list for grades K-12 curriculum construction and evaluation," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 9 (3), 223-230.

Paper includes a rank-ordered list of 52 earth science concepts "important for inclusion in the K-12 science program."What a list!

Strope, M. and Braswell, A. (1966).

"A comparison of factual teaching and conceptual teaching in introductory college astronomy," Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 4 (2), 95-.

Journal of Science Education and Technology

Trumper, R. (2001).

"A cross-college age study of science and nonscience students' conceptions of basic astronomy concepts in preservice training for high-school teachers," Journal of Science Education and Technology, 10 (2), 189-195.

A questionnaire of 19 questions given to a total of 433 students in college preservice training for future high-school teachers showed that science and nonscience majors held a series of misconceptions on several central topics in basic astronomy.

Journal of Science Teacher Education

Abell, S., George, M. and Martini, M. (2002).

"The Moon investigation: Instructional Strategies for elementary science methods," Journal of Science Teacher Education, 13 (2), 85-XX.

Students recorded daily Moon observations in journals; then they identified patterns, made predictions and offered explanations. They recognized the role of observationin science but could not articulate the different roles that observation plays. Also, they could recognize the role of collaboration in their learning process but not in the work of scientists.

Learning and Instruction

Diakidoy, I.A., and Kendeou, P. (2001).

"Facilitating conceptual change in astronomy: A comparison of the effectiveness of two instructional approaches," Learning and Instruction, 11 (1), 1-20.

Comparison between textbook-based instruction and instruction that took students' preconceptions about the shape of Earth and the day-night cycle into account was made for 63 fifth-grade students in Cyprus. Although the textbook-based instruction did not facilitate significant conceptual gains on a multiple-choice instrument, students who experienced the experimental instruction showed higher gains.

Kikas, E. (1998).

"The impact of teaching on students' definitions and explanations of astronomical phenomena," Learning and Instruction, 8 (5), 439-454.

Longitudinal study of 20 students, initially aged 10-11, over four years. The students were interviewed about the daynight cycle and seasonal changes, astronomical definitions and scientifically accurate explanations of astronomical phenomena. Two months after instruction , students could generally recall the scientific explanations provided in class. Four years later, students could only describe common astronomical events and virtually none of their classroom given scientific explanations. These long-term results were the same for older students who had virtually no classroom experiences in astronomy

Mercury

De Robertis, M. and Delaney, P. (1994).

"The roots of astrology," Mercury, 23 (5), 21-23.

Survey of 1500 college freshmen show poor understanding of differences between science and pseudoscience. Arts and science majors show little difference.

Schatz, D. and Lawson, A.E. (1976).

"Effective astronomy teaching: Intellectual development and its implications," Mercury, 5 (4), 6-13.

Case studies of four students aged, 17, 19, 20 and 20 suggest that students readily misinterpret a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram as showing that stars literally move through space and that larger-diameter stars such as red giants always have more mass than smaller-diameter stars regardless of their evolutionary state.

Physics Education

Trumper, R. (2000).

"University students' conceptions of basic astronomy concepts," Physics Education, 35 (1), 9-15.

A questionnaire of 19 questions given to 76 students entering an 'Introduction to astronomy' course at university showed that the students held a series of misconceptions on several central topics in basic astronomy.

The Physics Teacher

Slater, T.F. and Adams, J.P. (2002).

"Mathematical reasoning over arithmetic in introductory astronomy," The Physics Teacher, 40 (X), 268-XXX.

The authors differentiate between arithmetic (plug and chug problems) and quantitative or mathematical reasoning skills. Reasoning over formulae is more rewarding to students and more appropriate when modeling the work of scientists.

Deming, G. and Hufnagel, B. (2001).

"Who's taking Astro 101?" The Physics Teacher, 39 (6), 368-369.

Characterizes the "typical" population of an introductory astronomy course using demographic information from the ADT, 3800 students from 66 classes; 69% are white, 6% are African-American, 6% Hispanic, 11% Asian-American; 52% are women, 65% are less than 20 years old; 53% had pre-calculus or calculus as their highest math course.

Slater, T.F., Adams, J.P., Brissenden, G., and Duncan, D. (2001).

"What topics are taught in introductory astronomy courses?" The Physics Teacher, 39 (1), 52-55.

An analysis of 37 Internet syllabi discussing frequency of topics taught and faculty stated goals of the course.

Comins, N.F. (2000).

"A method to help students overcome astronomy misconceptions," The Physics Teacher, 38 (X), 542-5XX.

Lists common misconceptions of students.

Zeilik, M., Schau, C., and Mattern, N. (1998).

"Misconceptions and their change in university-level astronomy courses," The Physics Teacher, 36 (2), 104-107.

Analysis of university-level, introductory astronomy pre- and post-test scores on a multiple choice concept test. In general, students had lower initial scores on astronomy concept understanding than physics concept understanding. But, astronomy concepts were easier to change. Students had a poor understanding of light concepts.

Lightman, A. and Sadler, P. (1993).

"Teacher predictions versus actual student gains," The Physics Teacher, 31 (3), 162-167.

Investigation of how well teachers can predict students' abilities to overcome science misconceptions after completing a high school astronomy course. Teachers did a good job in predicting students' initial knowledge state. They vastly overestimated students' knowledge gains (which were minimal).

Dukes, R. and Kelley, S. (1979).

"The readability of college astronomy and physics texts," The Physics Teacher, 17 (3), 168-173.

Uses Flesch's readability scale to determine the readability of two dozen introductory astronomy textbooks. The books ranged in difficulty from 11th-12th grade level to being suitable for college seniors.

Kruglak, H. (1978).

"Deprogramming student attitudes toward astrology," The Physics Teacher, 16 (3), 165-167.

Analysis of a survey of introductory college astronomy students' attitudes toward astrology. Students views of astrology as a valid science decreased by the end of the course.

The Planetarian

Bisard, W. J. (1980).

"Designing an experimental research project in a planetarium," The Planetarian, 2-5.

54 public planetarium presentations were randomly assigned to four treatments (written program, personal, slide, null) to study the educative value of introductory material. An average of 28 patrons from each audience was randomly selected to participate in a post-test. The personal and slide introductions were found to be the most effective.

Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia

Burtnyk, K. (2000).

"Impact of observatory visitor centers on the public's understanding of astronomy," Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 17, 275-281.

On-site interviews and follow-up telephone interviews were conduced with visitors to the Siding Spring and mount Stromlo observatories to determine who visits these observatories and why. While few cognitive gains emerged from visits to either observatory, both were very successful at producing a strong and lasting affective impact.

Dunlop, J. (2000).

"How children observe the universe," Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 17, 194-206.

Children and adults responded to a survey about the causes of a day-night cycle, lunar phases, seasons, and motions in the Earth-Moon-Sun system. Results were similar to previous studies.

Skala, C., Slater, T.F., and Adams, J.P. (2000).

"Qualitative analysis of collaborative learning groups in large enrollment introductory astronomy," Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 17, 185-193.

Behavioral observations of 270 non-science undergraduates, working in 48 self-formed collaborative-learning groups, were categorized in a time sequence as actively engaged, watching actively, watching passively, or disengaged. Results suggest that student behavior is independent of the gender composition of the groups, except for groups of all female students, where students were more often actively engaged.

Hufnagel, B., Slater, T.F., Deming, G., Adams, J.P., Adrien, R.L., Brick, C., and Zeilik, M. (2000).

"Pre-course results from the Astronomy Diagnostic Test," Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 17 (2), 152-155.

Pre-course survey of 1557 students from 22 classes at 17 institutions shows that results are largely independent of class size, region or institution; female students scored significantly lower (28%) than male students (38%).

Research in Science and Technological Education

Baxter, J. H. and Preece, P.F.W. (2000).

"A comparison of dome and computer planetaria in the teaching of astronomy," Research in Science and Technological Education, 18 (1), 63-68.

A pre/post test format was used to compare the effectiveness of two kinds of planetaria (dome and computer) to teach concepts of the apparent motion of the Sun and stars with 9- and 10-year old students. Both were found to be equally effective though only female students showed learning gains.

Trumper, R. (2001).

"A cross-age study of senior high school students' conceptions of basic astronomy concepts," Research in Science and Technological Education, 19 (1), 97-109.

Senior high school students' astronomy conceptions were analyzed by means of written questionnaire presented to them during the beginning of the first semester.

School Science and Mathematics

Atwood, V.A. and Atwood, R.K. (1995).

"Preservice elementary teachers' conceptions of what causes night and day," School Science and Mathematics, 95 (6), 290-294.

Study of 49 preservice elementary teachers found widespread misconceptions.; 50 percent attribute the cause of day and night to Earth's motion around the Sun; however, only 30 percent incorrectly describe the cause when giving a verbal explanation with models.

Westerback, M.E. and Long, M.J. (1990).

"Science knowledge and the reduction of anxiety about teaching earth science in exemplary teachers as measured by the science teaching state-trait anxiety inventory," School Science and Mathematics, 90 (5), 361-374.

Modified Form Y of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to create a 40-item self-reporting instrument using Likert scales. Test group was 39 in-service elementary school teachers; no control group. Course emphasized concepts and questions. Initial anxiety improved and gains were made in achievement of concepts.

Treagust, D.F. and Smith, C.L. (1989).

"Secondary students understanding of gravity and the motion of planets," School Science and Mathematics, 89 (5), 380-391.

Interviewed 8 groups of 3 or 4 grade-10 students who had completed an astronomy course, then developed a diagnostic test. Diagnostic given to 113 grade-10 students in two Australian schools, from whose answers 6 misconceptions about gravity were identified.

Fletcher, J.K. (1980).

"Traditional planetarium programming versus participatory planetarium programming," School Science and Mathematics, 80 (3), 227-232.

Produced two similar planetaria programs about rising and setting points of the Sun, one was participatory and one was traditional. 686 students in 32 classes at 8 planetaria were shown one or the other program and then tested at the end of the program and again 4 weeks later. No difference observed between groups.

Wall, C.A. (1973).

"A review of research related to astronomy education" School Science and Mathematics, 73 (8), 653-669.

A review of primarily Ph.D. dissertations; it makes recommendations for future lines of work.

Reed, G. and Campbell, J.R. (1972).

"A comparison of the effectiveness of the planetarium and the classroom chalkboard and celestial globe in the teaching of specific astronomical concepts," School Science and Mathematics, 72 (5), 368-374.

Students who could physically manipulate a celestial sphere were better able to describe the positions and motions of objects in the sky than students who were taught in a planetarium.

School Science Review

Sharp, J. G., Bowker, R., Mooney, C., Grace, M. and Jeans, R. (1999).

"Teaching and learning astronomy in primary schools," School Science Review, 80 (292), 75-86.

A quasi-experimental study of the influence of the National Curriculum of England and Wales on 10-year old students’ understanding of the earth-sun-moon system and the solar system was conducted using pre/post instruction interviews. The authors challenge some commonly held beliefs about what children can and cannot learn in astronomy, based on their results.

Science and Children

Bar, V., Sneider, C., and Martimbeau, N. (1997).

"Is there gravity in space?" Science and Children, 38-43.

Two 6th grade classes participated in a lesson designed to help them understand that gravity acts beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Students took a pre/post test and 10 students were interviewed before and after instruction. While many students improved their understanding, a smaller fraction retained their initial ideas.

Science Education

Sharp, J. G. and Kuerbis, P. (2005).

"Children's ideas about the solar system and the chaos in learning science," Science Education, 89, 1-25.

Quasi-experimental study of 9-to-11 year-olds’ ideas about the solar system and how these ideas are influenced by 10- weeks of astronomy instruction in a primary school in England. Pre-post interviews conducted with both experimental and control group show that the experimental groups’ progression towards scientific understanding is encouraging and can be attributed to weak and radical knowledge restructuring.

Galili, I., Weizman, A., and Cohen, A. (2004).

"The sky as a topic in science education," Science Education, 88, 574-593.

A qualitative questionnaire was administered to students ranging from elementary, high school, university freshman and in-service teachers on their understanding of the nature and shape of the sky, visibility distance, and the "moon illusion." Results suggest students do not consider sky to be a scientific (physical) concept. Students do not relate Moon illusion to the profile of sky or visibility of distance.

Shipman, H.L., Brickhouse, N.W., Dagher, Z.R., and Letts IV, W.J. (2004).

"Changes in student views of religion and science in a college astronomy course" Science Education, 86 (4), 526-547.

Data from 340 students in an introductory astronomy course in which the interaction between religion and science is deliberately addressed show that approximately half of the students were engaged with the issues to some extent. Although some students experienced deep internal conflict, it did not appear to be a hindrance to learning.

Haussler, P., and Hoffmann, L. (2000).

"A curricular frame for physics education: development, comparison with student's interests, and impact on student's achievement and self-concept," Science Education, 84 (6), 689-705.

Questionnaire of 8000 German students in 23 experimental and 7 control classes. Observe "a remarkable congruency between students' interest in physics and the kind of physics education identified in the Delphi study as being relevant. However, there is a considerable discrepancy between students' interest and the kind of physics instruction practiced in the physics classroom."

Sneider, C.I., and Ohadi, M. M. (1998).

"Unraveling students' misconceptions about the Earth's shape and gravity," Science Education, 82 (2), 265-284.

539 students in 18 classrooms in 10 (USA) states did the GEMS unit on "Earth, Moon, and Stars." A significant number of students shed their misconceptions, with younger students responding more positively. A subgroup was tested for maturation effects, none found. Supports a constructivist-historical approach in instruction.

Fisher, M.S. (1997).

"The effect of humor on learning in a planetarium," Science Education, 81 (6), 703-713.

495 adult (USA) subjects saw a 15 min. tape describing 20 astronomical concepts. One version of the tape had half the concepts presented humorously with the other half non-humorously. Results of a post-show survey with 20 fill-in-theblank questions showed that visitors who saw this version showed less retention than did subjects who saw the nonhumorous version.

Sneider, C. and Pulos, S. (1983).

"Children's cosmographies: understanding the earth's shape and gravity," Science Education, 67 (2), 205-221.

Survey of 159 third- through eighth-grade students show children consistently hold one of five notions that increase in complexity as the students age: 1) Earth is flat, 2) Earth is round with flat places where people live, 3) is round and people can live only at the top, 4) is round but has an absolute sense of up and down, 5) Earth is spherical with down being toward the center.

Nussbaum, J. and Sharoni-Dagan, N. (1983).

"Changes in second grade children's preconceptions about the Earth as a cosmic body resulting from a short series of audio-tutorial lessons," Science Education, 67 (1), 99-114.

Israeli second graders were broken into three groups: a control group, a group that received a short series of six audiotutorial lessons with pre- and post-interviews, and a third group that received instruction with post-only interviews to eliminate pre-interviews as a confounding variable. The study found that 75% of the students moved past early notions when using the audio-tutorial lessons.

Klein, C. (1982).

"Children's concepts of the Earth and Sun: A cross-cultural study," Science Education, 65 (1), 95-107.

A comparison of the ideas students have concerning the shape of Earth, studying Mexican and Anglo second grade students.

Mali, G. and Howe, A. (1979).

"A development of earth and gravity concepts among Nepali children," Science Education, 63 (5), 685-691 (1979).

Students' conceptions of gravity are highly dependent on the specifics of their mental model of a spherical Earth. Students in Nepal have similar ideas about the shape of Earth compared to students in the U.S., but Nepali children develop higher-level notions several years after U.S. children.

Nussbaum, J. (1979).

"Children's conception of the earth as a cosmic body: a cross age study," Science Education, 63 (1), 83-93.

Students have a wide variety of mental models of Earth as a sphere, with ideas of earth's shape and gravity increasing in complexity with students' age.There is a progression from geocentric views to more scientifically accurate ones, but a specific pathway could not be determined. Studied 240 children from Jerusalem across grades 4-8

Bishop, J.E. (1977).

"United States astronomy education: past, present, and future," Science Education, 61 (3), 295-305.

A description of the past and present characteristics of astronomy education, focussing primarily on classroom demographics and curriculum development projects. Some attention is paid to the attitudes and prevalent ideas about astronomy held by the general public.

Nussbaum, J. and Novak, J. (1976).

"An assessment of children's concepts of the earth utilizing structured interviews," Science Education, 60 (4), 685-691.

Structured interviews with second graders in the U.S. about the shape of Earth and the effects of gravity at the surface. Describes a highly effective and systematic interviewing strategy appropriate for investigating student conceptions. Most students consistently hold one of five notions: Earth is flat, Earth is round with flat places where people live, Earth is round and people can only live on top, Earth is round but has an absolute sense of up and down, or earth is round with down being toward earth's center.

Yuckenberg, L. (1962).

"Children's understanding of certain concepts of astronomy in first grade," Science Education, 46 (2), 148-.

Haupt, G.W. (1948).

"First grade concepts of the Moon," Science Education, 32 (4), 258-262.

Haupt, G.W. (1950).

"First grade concepts of the Moon: Part II: By interview," Science Education, 34 (4), 224-234.

First grade student descriptions of the Moon fell into five categories: surface and composition, size, motions, moonlight, and phases. They consistently explained their ideas not from what they had been taught but based upon their own experience with movement, size, holes, clouds, shadows, and rocks. The exception was moonlight, where students frequently used the term reflection.

Science and Education

Brickhouse, N.W. Dagher, Z.R., Shipman, H.L., and Letts IV, W.J. (2002).

"Evidence and warrants for belief in a college astronomy course," Science Education, 11 (6), 573-588.

Study of written work by 360 students, comparing their understanding, warrants of belief, and value of evidence suggests that students' views of the nature of science are topic-dependent when comparing responses for Big Bang, evolution by natural selection, and gravity and that providing multiple explanations and viewpoints are an important component to successfully teaching the nature of science to college students.

Albanese, A., Danhoni Neves, M.C. and Vincentini, M. (1997).

"Models in science and in education: A critical review of research on students' ideas about the Earth and its place in the universe" Science Education, 6, 573-590.

Quasi-meta-analysis of educational research on Earth's place in the universe suggests that studies on Earth's shape give consistent results but studies describing earth's position in the Universe have not yet converged on explaining difficulties students have.

The Science Teacher

Philips, W.C. (1991).

"Earth science misconceptions," The Science Teacher, 58 (2), 21-23.

A long list of student conceptions in earth and space science based on classroom experience.

Social Studies of Science

Lightman, A.P and Miller, J.D. (1989).

"Contemporary cosmological beliefs," Social Studies of Science, 19 (1), 127-136.

Telephone survey of 1111 adults about the nature of the Sun (over half said it is a star); the future of the Sun (about 40% said it would eventually burn out); the nature of the size of the universe (24% said it was increasing, as expected from the Big Bang); and the likelihood of planets similar to ours that could harbor life (62% agreed that thousands of planets could exist).

Teaching and Teacher Education

Trumper, R. (2003).

"The need for change in elementary school teacher training: A cross-college age study of future teachers' conceptions of basic astronomy concepts" Teaching and Teacher Education, 19 (3), 309-323.

Fixe choice questions given to 400 pre-service teachers. They show the same misconceptions as in the other studies by Trumper. Provides question by question analyses.

Books

Broadfoot, J.M. and Ginns, I.S. (2005).

"Astronomy education research down under," in Teaching and Learning Astronomy:Effective Strategies for Educators Worldwide, ed. Pasachoff, J.M. and Percy, J.R. (New York: Cambridge Univ. Press).

Reviews astronomy education research in Australasia, including studies on student understandings and teaching effectiveness investigations. It concludes with recommendations for teaching strategies and future research directions.

Dissertations

Lindell, R.S. (2001).

"Enhancing college students' understanding of lunar phases," University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska; Diss. Abstract Int. 62 (08B), 3655.

Using qualitative methods, conceptions about lunar phases of 14 college students were investigated. The conceptions were organized into a conceptual framework with 8 different dimensions of understanding. From the framework, the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) was developed, including reliability and validity studies.The LPCI was also used to investigate the instructional effectiveness of an activity on lunar phases.

Fanetti, T.M. (2001).

"The relationships of scale concepts on college age students' misconceptions about the cause of lunar phases," Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; (unpublished Master's thesis)

Interviewed 50 students and surveyed more than 700 to learn that most students' difficulties arise from a lack of understanding of the scale of the Earth_moon system.

Wellner, K.L. (1995).

"A correlational study of seven projective spatial structures with regard to the phases of the Moon," University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; Diss. Abstract Int. 56 (06A), 2188.

61 science undergraduates completed Piagetian tasks and created models of lunar phases; 90 percent were operating at Piaget's concrete-operational level.

Slater, T.F. (1993).

"The effectiveness of a constructivist epistemological approach to the astronomy education of elementary and middle level in-service teachers," University of South Carolina; Diss. Abstract Int. (University Microfilms No. XXXXX).

The same effective approaches used with children work well with in-service teachers to build confidence as well as knowledge. Extensive description of what constructivism looks like in astronomy.

Sadler, P.M. (1992).

"The initial knowledge state of high school astronomy students," Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Diss. Abstract Int. 53 (05A), 1470.

The author created a multiple-choice instrument with distractors that represented commonly-held misconceptions.; administered to 1414 high-school students to characterize their understanding of astronomy prior to instruction. The mean score was 34 percent.

Dai, M.F.W. (1991).

"Identification of misconceptions about the Moon held by fifth- and sixth-graders in Taiwan and an application for teaching," University of Georgia; Diss. Abstract Int. 52 (03A), 0869. (University Microfilms No. 9124300).

Students think that Moon phases are caused by Earth's shadow on the Moon.

Reynolds, M.D. (1990).

"Two-dimensional versus three-dimensional conceptualization in astronomy education," University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Diss. Abstract Int. 52 (03A), 0872.

Student pairs were provided cards depicting two cycles of lunar phases; Pairs who used three-dimensional models to explain phases were more likely to have a scientifically accurate explanation than those who used two-dimensional models.

Targan, D.M. (1988).

"The assimilation and accommodation of concepts in astronomy," University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Diss. Abstract Int. 49 (07A), 1755.

Used a conceptual-change model of instruction to teach about Moon phases. Tests were coded for occurrences of accommodation and assimilation to portray the changes that occurred over the instructional period. As in previous studies, the conceptual-change model appears to be an effective strategy to help students achieve scientific understanding.

Sky and Telescope

No research articles appeared in the magazine from 1980 through 2005

Astronomy

No research articles appeared in the magazine from 1972 through 2005

last updated 10 July 2006

Este texto é parte integrante da tese de doutoramento:

LANGHI, R. Astronomia nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental: repensando a formação de professores. 2009. 370 f. Tese (Doutorado em Educação para a Ciência). Faculdade de Ciências, UNESP, Bauru, 2009.