The aim of this research is to examine the effects of web 2.0 tools used in online astronomy education on the conceptual achievement of 5th grade secondary school students. For this purpose, the Sun, Earth and Moon unit was processed online using web 2.0 tools. The study was implemented in a public secondary school over a period of 6 weeks. Mixed…

The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge of fifth-grade students about the sun, earth, and moon and to examine the fact that this information can be reflected with different measurement tools. A mixed method was used in the research. Quantitative data were collected using a 3-point Likert-type questionnaire and a true-false test; and…

This article is a presentation of a three-day sequence of lessons that engaged fifth-grade students in an exploration following the activities of scientists. From asking questions and analyzing data, to engaging in scientific modeling, to defending their theories to the scientific (classroom) community, these fifth graders were mirroring how…

Previous research has shown that students at almost all levels have misconceptions about both the shapes and sizes of celestial bodies in space. This study is essential to conduct on the students who take space topic in their schools for the first time This study aims at revealing fifth-grade students' alternative conceptions about the size of the…

The purpose of this study is to explore the children's understanding of moon phase changes. Study methods include qualitative and quantitative methods. The subjects of the study are 683 students from grade three to six in an elementary school in New Taipei City. This study uses the method of writing assessment to explore the ideas of elementary…

In this article, the authors discuss finding teaching the standard on the apparent brightness of the Sun (5-ESS1-1) to be a challenging and frustrating experience due to the abstract nature of the standard and generally low interest of their fifth-grade students. They had previously used hands-on learning activities involving flashlights to model…

Background: Being able to think independently is a must for students to construct new knowledge in their minds. Self-explaining is a constructive learning strategy that encourages students to think for themselves and to make inferences that go beyond the given information. The Self-explain--Discuss--Re-explain (SDR) strategy adapted from…

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of formative assessment based learning on students' conceptual understanding levels regarding basic astronomical concepts. The study was conducted in a public primary school with 24 5th graders. The study group was applied a 3 phased teaching process based on formative assessment for the duration of…

UNESCO has identified education for sustainable development (ESD) as a key factor in the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Education is important in developing awareness of how to preserve natural ecosystems and promote the uptake of renewable energy sources. Ecology education in primary school aims to give students a scientific…

The purpose of study is to investigate the fifth graders' understandings of the basic astronomy concept and, if they have, to define their misconceptions and then to determine what reason/s behind them. For this purpose, two hundred seventy fifth grade students from 6 different schools participated. Randomly selected 45 students performing under…

The purpose of this study is to use the matrix laser teaching aids to teach in the moon observation unit to explore the effectiveness of science learning of elementary school students. The subjects of the study were 367 fourth-grade students in an elementary school in New Taipei City, including 154 students in the experimental group and 213…

This research with middle school students from Kentucky (KY) and Nevada (NV) provides a snapshot of students' spatial-scientific understandings as we explored how well students understand lunar-related content, both spatially and scientifically, after receiving instruction with similar curricular Earth-Space content. Utilizing a lens of spatial…

This study aims to assess primary school teachers' knowledge of basic astronomy concepts, such as the sizes and shapes of, and the distances between, the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon, lunar and solar eclipses, and the motions of the Moon and the Earth. Out of a total of 1,533 teachers, 398 (26%) were reached and asked to take a knowledge test. On…

This study is based on the Reconceptualised Family Resemblance Approach to Nature of Science (Kaya & Erduran, 2016), which explains science as a cognitive, epistemic, and social-institutional system. A content analysis of Turkish science curricula shows that the social context of science is underemphasised (Kaya & Erduran, 2016).…

Cultures need to accurately record dates and times for various societal purposes, ranging from knowing when to plant crops to planning travel. In ancient times, the sun and moon were used as measurement devices because of the scientific understanding of the physical world at that time. Ancient timekeepers monitored celestial events and either used…