Effects of Experience Regarding the Movement of Celestial Bodies on Understanding of it by Elementary Education Program Students

Abstract

This study is intended to determine the effects of experience regarding the movement of celestial bodies on the understanding of it by elementary education program students. First, factor analysis was performed for the questions, by asking about previous experience regarding the movement of celestial bodies, and the level of such experience was scored for each of the factors extracted. Second, differences from the mean value were examined for the upper and lower groups of scores on knowledge about the movement of celestial bodies. As a consequence, the following findings were obtained: (1) Factor analysis produced four factors: "direct experience regarding celestial bodies," "interest in/concern with school class," "indirect experience regarding celestial bodies" and "experience of drawing three-dimensional pictures." (2) Students' understanding of celestial bodies proved to be extremely low, as the percentage of correct answers was as low as 16.5% to the question about the positional relationship between the sun and the moon when the waxing moon is observed after sunset. (3) Average scores for understanding of the waxing and waning of the moon that requires grasping three-dimensional positional relationship were significantly higher in the upper group than in the lower group in the two factors of "direct experience of celestial bodies" and "interest in/concern with school class." (4) Average scores for understanding of diurnal motion by celestial bodies that appears like a two-dimensional movement showed no significant difference between the upper group and the lower group in either of the factors of "direct experience of celestial bodies" and "interest in/concern with school class."