Science Education International
By Kanli, U
“Using a Two-tier Test to Analyse Students’ and Teachers’ Alternative Concepts in Astronomy”
Publisher:
2/26
Pp. 148-165
2015
Using a Two-tier Test to Analyse Students’ and Teachers’ Alternative Concepts in Astronomy
Type: Empirical
Data collection method: Test
Number of subjects, range: Large — 31 or more
Grade and age of subjects: 9th-12 grade — 15-18 years, Adult — over 18 years
Students’ and teachers’ misconceptions
- The comet is a star.
- Astrology is a science discipline.
- Stars do not rotate around their axis.
- The Sun’s energy comes from the breaking apart of heavy elements into lighter ones .
High school and university students’ misconceptions
- The Moon does not rotate on its axis.
High school students’ misconceptions
- The Sun’s energy comes from the heat left over from the Big Bang.
- A shooting star is a movement of a star.
University students’ and teachers’ misconceptions
- For a certain geographical region, the solar eclipse always takes longer than the lunar eclipse.
Teachers’ misconceptions
- Sunspots are the places where nuclear reactions take place exactly.
- While the lunar eclipse can be observed from everywhere at night, the solar eclipse can only be observed from a certain belt on the earth.