EVALUATION OF CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS IN ASTRONOMY
Journal Title: Problems of Education in the 21st Century - Year 2016, Vol 69, Issue 2
Abstract
Even though astronomy is the oldest science, it is still an open question how to evaluate students’ understanding in astronomy. In spite of the fact that some methods and evaluation tools have been developed for that purpose, the sources of students’ diffculties in astronomy are still unclear. This paper presents an investigation of the changes in conceptual frameworks in astronomy among 50 engineering students as a result of learning a general course in astronomy. A special tool called Conceptual Frameworks in Astronomy (CFA), which was initially used in 1989, was adopted to gather data for the present research. In its new version, the tool includes 23 questions and fve to six optional answers to each question. Each of the answers characterizes one of the four conceptual frameworks: pre-scientifc, geocentric, heliocentric and sidereal. These four conceptual frameworks act as a taxonomical system that enables us to evaluate astronomical understanding. The paper describes the background of the CFA, its development, and discusses its validity and reliability. Using the CFA we were able to: (1) identify the students’ conceptual frameworks at the beginning of the course and at its end, (2) to evaluate the students’ paradigmatic change following the course. It was found that the measure of the students’ improvement (gain index) was g = 0.37. Approximately 45% of the students in the course improved their conceptual frameworks in astronomy and 26% deepened their understanding of the heliocentric or sidereal conceptual frameworks. The CFA can also be applied as an evaluation tool in all schools and institutions that teach astronomy.
Authors and Affiliations
David Pundak
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP35422
- DOI -
- Views 327
- Downloads 0
SCIENCE COMPETENCY OF ARGENTINIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE FIRST YEAR OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY COURSES
The aim of this study is to assess the science competency of university students enrolling in the School of Biochemistry and Biological Sciences (frst year of the courses of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the Univer...
COGNITIVE LOADING DUE TO SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING, COMPLEX QUESTIONS AND TASKS IN THE ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS
The aim of the research was to explore the levels of cognitive loading induced by certain tenets of constructivist pedagogy namely self-directed learning complex questions and zone of proximal development. The study al...
PROBLEMS OF DEVELOPMENT OF MASTER DEGREE PROGRAM IN ACCOUNTING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LATVIA
The article is dedicated to problems and possibilities of development in terms of realization of Academic and Professional Master’s Degree program in Accounting at the University of Latvia. Carrying out continuous compar...
CROSS-CULTURAL DIALOGUE AT LESSONS OF RUSSIAN LANGUAGE AT SCHOOLS PROVIDING GENERAL EDUCATION OF LATVIA
This article is devoted to the possibilities of usage lingvoculturology experience in the process of teaching mother tongue (Russian) in the conditions of diaspora, and in Russian language textbooks for the pupils of nat...
EFFECTIVENESS OF TEACHING PREPARATIONS ON MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT: THE CASE OF KENYA
Despite playing a central role in peoples’ daily life, the average Kenyan secondary school students’ mathematics score in national examinations has consistently averaged below 40%. The contribution of teachers’ lesson...