rita guerra: the diagnosis of misconceptions in basic astronomy
TRANSCRIPT
The Diagnosis of
Misconceptions in Basic Astronomy
Ana Rita Guerra
Professor Doutor Vítor Teodoro
9th September 2014
What they are and how they form
Harvard Graduates Explain Seasons
Construction of a diagnostic tool
Test aims to be a tool to expose the mental models of
students, and serve as a starting point for discussion of
these phenomena.
Taking into account the sample size and the type of study,
it was found the desirability of making a test, considering
their advantages and disadvantages.
Collection of identified misconceptions
The authors reviewed the international literature in search for diagnostic tests of basic astronomy (age 12 to 16).
After the identification of major categories for items, a selection of these items was adapted to Portuguese and validated by a group of teachers (content validity).
Special care was taken with the quality and clarity of the images used in the test.
Organization of the diagnostic test
Categories
A Planet Earth in Space
B Orbits and Astronomical Objects
C Phases of the Moon
D Seasons
E Gravitational Force
F Scales
G Light
Organization diagnostic test
20 items about scientific concepts in astronomy.
4 options, multiple-choice items
Brief summary of the Portuguese
curriculum
Validation of the test
5 Teachers of Physics and Chemistry.
1 University Professor
2 Astronomers
2 7th grade students (25 minutes)
2 10th grade students (20 minutes)
Subjects: Teachers and Students
9 Public Schools and 3 Private Schools
Municipality
School
year Number of
classes N. of
students Total
Cascais 7th 3 83
677
Olhão 7th 1 23
Sintra 7th 1 13
Coruche 7th 8 168
São João da Madeira 7th 2 43
Cascais 7th 1 15
Sintra 7th 4 93
Póvoa de Varzim 7th 5 116
Cascais 7th 4 90
Torres Novas 7th 1 24
Cascais 10th 1 18 45
Sintra 10th 1 27
Teachers 11 (M)
54 43 (F)
Collection and processing of data
Data processing was done by analyzing the responses, a
quantitative analysis in order to calculate the frequency of
responses for each item.
Check the prevalence and persistence of different
answers.
The item responses were grouped and analyzed
simultaneously.
Organization of results
The analysis not only of the percentage of correct
answers, but mainly the analysis of the percentage of
distractors, which will allow an understanding of the paths
taken by students to develop their reasoning along each
item.
The distractors can not be made up of information or
random values unrelated to the problem.
Results per item
Results per item for students and teachers
B Orbits and celestial bodies Reference
1 The Sun is orbiting around the Earth once a day. Jones et al. (1987)
2 The Earth is orbiting around the Earth once a day. Jones et al. (1987)
3 The sun moves up and down. Jones et al. (1987)
4 The Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. Jones et al. (1987)
5 The Earth is between the Sun and the Moon and turns on itself. Jones et al. (1987)
6 The Earth is in the center and the Moon and the Sun revolve around
her. Jones et al. (1987)
7 The Moon does not rotate on its axis as it rotates around the Earth.
8 The Earth's orbit around the sun is elliptical. AAAS Project 2061, n.d.
9 The Earth travels in an exaggerated elliptical orbit being more or less
close to the Sun. Driver (1994)
AAAS Project
2061, n.d.
Orbits and celestial
bodies B8
Results per item for students and teachers
Results per item for students and teachers
Results per item for students and teachers
Results per item for students and teachers
Results per item for students and teachers
Analysis of the results and conclusions
The results were consistent across different schools and
grades.
Some misconceptions have a large frequency in different
groups of students and even in teachers.
