Light and its spectrum are central concepts in many introductory physics, astronomy, geology, and conceptual physics courses. The Sun and its spectrum are usually primary examples, likely due to the Sun's everyday familiarity and the full spectrum it generates when dispersed. To enhance such discussions with a hands-on student activity, we've…

Young children, students, and adults may have alternative ideas about the motion of the Sun and stars as we observe them in the sky. However, a good understanding of this apparent motion is essential as a starting point to study more advanced astronomical concepts, especially when these include astronomical observations. In this paper, we describe…

We report the design of an analog technology, what we refer to as a SunRule, that uses sunlight to model multiplication. Physical models that explore multiplication are fixtures in elementary mathematics classrooms. Our interest in physical models of multiplication was driven by an overarching design problem: How could a physical tool realize a…

The concept of black body is of primary importance in studying the energy transfer of thermal electromagnetic radiation at all wavelengths. Several physical bodies like incandescent lamps, electric heaters, stoves, the sun and the other stars, microwave background radiation, etc., are considered to be black bodies as their radiation spectra fits…

Objective: In contrast to previous research that has primarily focused on gender differences in health behaviour compliance, this study explored the association between gender consciousness and sun protection in China - a cultural setting in which there is a pronounced gender bias towards sun protection. These article is the first attempt to…

The purpose of this study was to provide an online astronomy activity using the Stellarium program as a virtual planetarium. The implementation was conducted with 30 preservice primary school teachers (PPTs) who participated in a non-formal workshop that included interactive, technology-based astronomy practices embedded with the…

This study studied the types of peer scaffolding presented in scientific experimental activities. The study included 14 university students. For the experimental activity of 'determining temperature changes using the meridian altitude of the sun,' information regarding experimental behaviors, thinking aloud, discourse, and retrospective interview…

The growing integration of technology into education, particularly in the STEM fields, has tended to focus on its objective advantages, ignoring its affective potential. To explore this potential, based on some principles of "Kansei/Affective Engineering," an initial analysis was conducted considering 501 interventions in a conversation…

In the New England region, where temperatures range from below 0 to over 100 degrees, heating and cooling can present a major opportunity to improve sustainability statistics of a campus. Overt changes such as improving windows come to mind, but recent advancements in boiler technology and strategies for working with the heat of the sun and the…

In this paper, primary school students' and pre-service teachers' ideas of seasonal change are investigated. The research was carried out in nine primary schools in Athens and in the Primary Education Department of the University of Athens. Written reports were used for gathering data while students also had the opportunity to support their…

Teachers are responsible for children at school during peak ultraviolet (UV) times of the day. It is paramount that teachers have knowledge and understanding of UV to effectively protect themselves and their students. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of a short intervention on preservice teachers' sun protective…

Pre-service primary teachers mostly have negative attitudes towards science teaching and learning, and their science background is usually low. This usually results in them feeling unable or unconfident to teach science at school. A previous step to improve their willingness to teach science to children is that they feel they can learn in-depth…

Sunscreens have different levels of protection, measured most commonly with the sun protection factor (SPF). Students initially believed higher SPF factors mean greater sun protection and learned through this activity that higher SPF does not mean greater protection. Students analyzed the amount of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) protection and…

Each day when the sun rises at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) professors reach back to the traditional teachings of their elders to prepare lessons for the students of today. It is the connection to Native cultures, attitudes, and philosophy that is what sets TCUs apart from mainstream colleges and universities. For most, teaching…

The purpose of this study is to reveal preservice science teachers' perceptions related to the sun, star, comet and constellation concepts. The research was carried out by 56 preservice science teachers (4th grade) at Kastamonu University taking astronomy course in 2014-2015 academic year. For data collection open-ended questions that required…