RESEARCH PROPOSALCOMMON KNOWLEDGE AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE

Ally Pritscher

WHAT I’M RESEARCHING

• I plan to take a survey of the general astronomical knowledge of suburban towns in North Carolina.

• This survey will include questions about the sun, the moon, stars, and the solar system.

• I expect to find limited understanding of such topics, since it is rare for astronomy to be taught past primary school, if at all.

METHODS

• I plan to make a list of fifteen to twenty questions about basic astronomical concepts such as seasons, our solar system, and stars.

• I will go to eight randomly chosen suburbs in North Carolina and survey about ten people from each age group.

• The age groups will consist of middle schoolers, high schoolers, young adults (ages 18-34, not in high school), middle aged adults (ages 35-54), and older adults (ages 55+).

PURPOSE

• I want to be able to use my research to promote the education of astronomy in public schools. It is important to educate the general population about the occurrences of the universe that affect them every day.

• I plan to publish my findings in a paper that can be used to convince school boards to include astronomy curriculum in public schools.

BUDGET

Item Funding

Gas $400

Hotels $1300

Living Expenses $1000

Paper and Ink (surveys) $300

Total $3000

TIMELINE

Date Objective

May 16-17 Survey Fletcher (Henderson County)

May 18-20 Survey Woodfin (Buncombe County)

May 23-24 Survey Garner (Wake County)

May 25-27 Survey Kernersville (Forsyth County)

May 30-31 Survey Leland (Brunswick County)

June 1-3 Survey Emerald Isle (Carteret County)

June 6-7 Survey Cornelius (Mecklenburg County)

June 8-10 Survey Waxhaw (Union County)

June 11-24 Compile/Analyze Data/Write Report

SOURCES

• Nolby CM. 2012. Introducing astronomy into high school physics curriculum through the use of the University of North Dakota Observatory [Internet]. (ND):Dissertation, University of North Dakota; [cited 2015 Nov 18] Available from: http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1315239343?accountid=14244

• Stork DJ. 2014. Contemporary discipline-based astronomy education research study of K-12 teachers' astronomy knowledge using the test of astronomy standards [Internet]. (WY):Dissertation, University of Wyoming; [cited 2015 Nov 18] Available from: http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1652533523?accountid=14244

• Baxter JH. 1991. The role of astronomy as part of a broad science education for all pupils [Internet]. (UK):Dissertation, University of Bath; cited 2015 Nov 23] Available from: http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/899688456?accountid=14244

• Love C, Murphy A, Bonora S. 2013. Evaluating Astronomy Literacy of the General Public. Astronomical Journal [Internet]. [cited 2015 Nov 23] Available from: http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1308/1308.2195.pdf