4 - Astronomy education research down under

Summary

Abstract: A review of research conducted in Australasia into students' concept development in astronomy identifies a number of learning difficulties pertinent to astronomy, such as the lack of prior knowledge, intuitive or naive beliefs, juxtaposition and frames of reference, difficulties in mental-modeling, the inappropriate use of analogies, and the absence of consideration of the historical development of astronomy in teaching. The impact on, and effectiveness of, some teaching and learning strategies, developed and employed to address some of these learning difficulties, have been examined. A number of recommendations are proposed for teaching strategies and further focused research into the learning and conceptual needs of students.

Introduction

The curriculum and the teaching of astronomy in any school are driven by the syllabus and the individual school's developed and implemented curriculum. Other factors that may affect the delivery of the intended curriculum will include the competence and interests of individual teachers and the use of textbooks and other resources, to support this curriculum. The successful teaching of astronomy in primary and secondary schools is dependent on the teachers' own understanding of concepts and abilities to challenge students' prior conceptions, therefore the courses undertaken by pre-service teachers must be in the context of teaching astronomy, and teachers' own studies must challenge and develop their own understanding of concepts in astronomy.

To understand fully the possible derivation of alternative conceptions or difficulties in understanding key concepts in astronomy, it is essential to trace the stages of teaching and learning in astronomy through the curriculum. It may be that students have not been provided with the opportunities to challenge and/or restructure their prior knowledge or intuitive beliefs through appropriate teaching strategies.