2016 Volume 57 Issue 2 Pages 115-122
The aim of this study is to clarify how pre-service elementary teachers in Japan understand the range of the observable celestial sphere. The method is the study of their recognition of a fixed star on the celestial sphere which the observer can see with the naked eye, which is accomplished by using the description of the celestial sphere, the earth, and the observer on different scales referenced from all five junior high school science textbooks officially approved by the Ministry of Education in Japan. The following are the major findings: 1) the pre-service elementary teachers’ perceptions could be classified into 19 categories; 2) No pre-service elementary teachers could give scientifically correct reasons for the range of the observable celestial sphere; and 3) The description of the earth and the observer on different scales had an influence on pre-service elementary teachers’ recognitions of the range of the observable celestial sphere.
