ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. My thesis committee: Neil Comins, Advisor David Batuski John Thompson

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1 Student ideas about the moon and its phases and the impact of a real 3D model of the Sun/Earth/Moon system in an introductory astronomy laboratory course by James Cohen B.A. Physics, University of Maine, 2003 A THESIS DEFENSE Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (in Teaching)

2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks to the following people: My thesis committee: Neil Comins, Advisor David Batuski John Thompson Everyone in the UMaine Physics and Astronomy Department My family

3 REASONS FOR STUDY Study student ideas about the Moon and its phases Determine the effectiveness of a general education astronomy laboratory curriculum Determine the impact of a real 3D model of the Sun/Earth/Moon system on student learning Investigate conceptual change as the result of instruction on the phases of the Moon

4 A REVIEW OF RELEVANT RESEARCH Baxter found a majority of research subjects ages 9-14 believed the Moon s phases are caused by Earth s shadow (Baxter, 1989). Stahly, et. al., studying conceptual change among third grade students found that student ideas about the Moon s phases could be changed with proper instruction but often the non-scientific ideas that existed before instruction remained (Stahly, et. al., 1999). Trumper, researching ideas about astronomy among college students, found that 31.6% believed the phases are caused by Earth s shadow.

5 A REVIEW OF RELEVANT RESEARCH (continued) Barnett and Moran researched conceptual change about the Moon s phases with 5 th graders. Instruction utilized a virtual 3D model and a constructivist approach. Results showed that within an ideal setting, students can develop complex ideas about the Moon and its phases (Barnett and Moran, 2002). Lindell developed a survey instrument called the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI). Barab, et, al., developed the Virtual Solar System project (VSS), an inquiry based astronomy course utilizing software to simulate the Sun/Earth/Moon system.

6 A REVIEW OF RELEVANT RESEARCH (continued) McDermott developed Physics By Inquiry containing a unit called Astronomy by Sight. This unit uses a guided inquiry approach to teaching the phases of the Moon. Fanetti hypothesized that an understanding of scale of the Earth/Moon system affects student ideas about the cause of the phases. Her research found no statistical connection to these two concepts.

7 HYPOTHESES Students who believe that the Earth s shadow causes the phases also believe that the Moon is only visible at night time. Students who are aware of the true cause of the Moon s phases are also aware that the Moon can be up during the day and during the night. A real 3D model of the Sun/Earth/Moon system will have an effect on student learning.

8 METHODOLOGY Utilization of existing curriculum structure in AST 110: Introduction to Astronomy Laboratory Mini-quizzes taken by students before each lab session enabled the use of survey questions as both pre and post lesson questions. Survey questions were used to inventory student ideas about the Moon during three different semesters in both live and online courses before instruction. Same survey questions were used as post lesson questions to assess impact of 3D model

9 THE SURVEY QUESTIONS Question 4 (1 point) I notice that the Moon appears in different shapes at different times. a. Often b. Sometimes c. Rarely d. Never e. I have never seen the moon.

10 Question 5 (1 point) The Moon is most likely to be high in the sky at. a. 6:00 AM b. 6:00 PM c. the North Pole d. midnight e. noon f. anytime day or night

11 Question 6 (1 point) The Moon s different shapes at different times are caused by a. clouds blocking our view of the entire Moon. b. the Moon deflating and then inflating again. c. Earth s shadow falling on the Moon. d. the fraction of the Moon that is lit by the Sun. e. the position of the Moon in its orbit around Earth. f. Earth s gravity pulling the moon into different shapes.

12 Question 7 (1 point) A moon in the phase shown below would. a. set before sunset b. rise after sunset c. neither rise nor set d. set after sunset e. rise at sunset

13 THE 3D MODEL

14 3D MODEL SIMULATIONS

15 SURVEY QUESTION RESULTS Responses to Pretest Question Frequency Sp 04 N=143 F 04 N= a b c d e

16 Responses to Pretest Question 5 Frequency Sp 04 N=143 F 04 N =142 Sp 05 N=153 Sp Online 05 N=43 0 a b c d e f Unanswered

17 Responses to Pretest Question Frequency Spring 04 Fall 04 Spring 05 Spr Online a b c d e f

18 Responses to Pretest Question Frequency Spring 04 Fall 04 Spring 05 Spr Online a b c d e

19 PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION FOR ALL RESPONSES ALL SEMESTERS a b c d e f Unans Question Question Question

20 RELATIONSHIP OF QUESTION 6 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 5 AND 7 ANSWERS On questions 5 and 7, students who believe the phases are caused by Earth s shadow did not have statistically significant different responses from the total of all responses for all semesters. On questions 5 and 7, students who believe the phases are caused by the fraction of the Moon lit by the Sun did not have statistically significant different responses from the total of all responses for all semesters. On questions 5 and 7, students who believe the phases are caused by the position of the Moon in its orbit did did not have statistically significant different responses from the total of all responses for all semesters.

21 QUESTION 5 PRE AND POST LESSON RESULTS Spring 2004 Question 5 Distribution: Pre and Post Lesson Fall 2004 Question 5 Answer Distribution: Pre and Post Lesson Pre lesson Post lesson 25 Pre lesson Post lesson a b c d e f N=118 0 a b c d e f N=87

22 QUESTION 6 PRE AND POST LESSON RESULTS Spring 2004 Question 6 Distribution: Pre and Post Lesson Fall 2004 Question 6 Answer Distribution: Pre and Post Lesson Pre lesson Post lesson Pre lesson Post lesson a b c d e f N=119 0 a b c d e f N=87

23 QUESTION 7 PRE AND POST LESSON RESULTS Spring 2004 Question 7 Distribution: Pre and Post Lesson Fall 2004 Question 7 Answer Distribution : Pre and Post Lesson Pre lesson Post lesson 15 Pre lesson Post lesson a b c d e N=119 0 a b c d e N=87

24 3D MODEL ANALYSIS There was no statistically significant difference between the way the questions were answered before the lesson and after the lesson in either semester, except for Question 7 in the fall, yet there was no improvement over conceptual knowledge compared to the spring. There was no difference in the way the post lesson questions were answered between semesters. There was no statistically significant difference between semesters on lesson performance.

25 TRACKING CONCEPTUAL CHANGE For the fall 2004 semester, on Question 6 there was actually an increase in students choosing the fraction lit answer after the lesson. This amounted to a net loss of 8.2% for correct responses. The spring 2004 semester had a net gain of 1.7% on Question 6. On Questions 5 and 7, there was little difference between semesters in percentage of correct responses.

26 IMPLICATIONS Did the 3D model have a negative impact? Utilizing the 3D model without reading and following lesson tutorial could cause students to adopt fraction lit concept. This needs to be studied further. Integrate lab quiz into lesson tutorial so that students cannot take the quiz without reading the lesson. Improve TA student communication. Have TA be active in learning process.

27 LIMITATIONS OF STUDY Limited number of survey questions Student TA language barrier Conceptual change tracking limited to answer choices. Interviews with students and video monitoring of labs would have been beneficial.

28 CONCLUSIONS Student ideas about the Moon and its phases are often unscientific. Students do not make any connection between the Moon s phase and the time it is visible. Conceptual change from non-scientific concepts to scientific concepts requires the student to accept the scientific concept as a better, more satisfying explanation for a natural phenomenon. This is hard to achieve in a classroom. Interactive instruction using models that require the use of the senses should improve learning. Unfortunately, this study did not show that as hoped.

29 This is the current phase of the Moon for July 22, It will rise at 9:34 PM and set at 6:13 AM, July 23, 2005.

30 REFERENCES Barab, S., Hay, K., Squire, K., Barnett, M., Schmidt, R., Karrigan, K. Yamagata-Lynch, L. & Johnson, C. Virtual Solar System Project: Learning through a Technology-Rich, Inquiry-Based, Participatory Learning Environment, accepted for publication, Journal of Science Education and Technology, 1999, 9/16/2004 Barnett, M. & Moran, J. Addressing children s alternative frameworks of the Moon s phases and eclipses, International Journal of Science Education, 24(8), 2002, Baxter, J. Children s understanding of familiar astronomical events, International Journal of Science Education, 22, 1989, Fanetti, T. M. The relationships of scale concepts on college age students misconceptions about the cause of the lunar phases, Thesis submitted, Ames: Iowa State University, 2001 Lindell, R. Moon Concept Inventory, 2/4/2004 McDermott, L. Astronomy by Sight: the sun, moon and stars, Physics By Inquiry, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Stahly, L., Krockover, G., Shepardson, D., Third Grade Students Ideas about the Lunar Phases, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 36(2), 1999, Trumper, R. University students conceptions of basic astronomy concepts, Physics Education, 35(1), 2000, 9-14