Understanding of Teachers on Phases of the Moon and the Lunar Eclipse / Öğretmenleri̇n Ay'in Evreleri̇ Ve Ay Tutulmasina İli̇şki̇n Anlayişlari

Abstract

Even though the educational researchers have developed and implemented various educational strategies to teach the concepts of the phases of the Moon and the formation of the lunar eclipse more effectively, many studies conducted by them in recent years reveal that the teachers still do not understand the causes and scientific processes related to the phases of the Moon phases and lunar eclipse. In addition, this situation shows that there are deep problems in teaching the subjects of Moon phases and lunar eclipse to students. Examining the main causes of learning difficulties in the phases of the Moon and lunar eclipse, this study is designed on the basis of development and implementation of a project supported by STRCT (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) in order to discuss the possible solutions. A 5-day activity program including basic astronomy education was applied to science teachers by using the model developed within the scope of the project, and the changes in mental models of the teachers in the subjects of Moon phases and lunar eclipse were examined. This research was carried out with 29 teachers voluntarily participating in the project in the field of Science. In this study in which qualitative and quantitative data collection methods were applied together, as a result of the evaluation of the obtained data, it was observed that the project was very successful in understanding the phases of the Moon and the causes of the lunar eclipse. The obtained results were interpreted by comparing them with the literature.
 
 Son yıllarda eğitim araştırmacılarının yaptığı birçok araştırma, Ay’ın evreleri ve Ay tutulmasının oluşması kavramlarını daha etkili bir şekilde öğretmek için çeşitli eğitim stratejileri geliştirip uygulamalarına rağmen, öğretmenlerin Ay’ın evreleri ve Ay tutulmasının oluşma nedenlerini ve bilimsel süreçlerini hala kavrayamadıklarını ortaya koymaktadır. Bu durum, Ay’ın evreleri ve Ay tutulması konularının öğrencilere öğretilmesinde derin sorunlar yaşandığını göstermektedir. Bu çalışma, Ay’ın evreleri ve Ay tutulması konularındaki öğrenme zorluklarının temel nedenlerinin araştırılarak, olası çözümlerin tartışılması için TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) tarafından desteklenen bir proje geliştirilmesi ve uygulanması üzerine kurgulanmıştır. Proje kapsamında geliştirilen model kullanılarak fen bilimleri öğretmenlerine temel astronomi eğitimi konularını da kapsayan 5 günlük bir etkinlik programı uygulanmış ve öğretmenlerin Ay’ın evreleri ve Ay tutulması konularındaki zihinsel modellerinin değişimleri incelenmiştir. Bu çalışma Fen Bilimleri alanında projeye gönüllü olarak katılan 29 öğretmen ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. Nitel ve nicel veri toplama yöntemlerinin bir arada kullanıldığı bu araştırmada, elde edilen verilerin değerlendirilmesi sonucu, Ay’ın evreleri ve Ay tutulmasının oluşum nedenlerinin kavranmasında oldukça başarılı olunduğu gözlenmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlar literatürle karşılaştırılarak yorum yapılmıştır.
 
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Examination of Dynamic Mental Constructs and their Change Regarding Phases of the Moon

“…The current study showed that 10 out of 14 interviewees did not construct a DMC based on scientific knowledge. This finding is in line with previous studies (e.g., Bayraktar, 2009;Kanli, 2014;Semercioğlu & Kalkan, 2021;Trumper, 2001;Trundle et al, 2002) that indicate individuals harbor misconceptions about phases of the Moon. Nonetheless, explanations not consistent with normative scientific explanations were not considered misconceptions in this study.…”

“…One of the popular nodes activated while explaining the Moon's phases is "shadow". More specifically, the phases of the Moon concept are often confused with the eclipse concept since they are related phenomena (Kanli, 2014;Semercioğlu & Kalkan, 2021). Furthermore, the location of an observer on Earth (Dunlop, 2000;Stahly, Krockover, & Shepardson, 1999), Earth's rotation (Baxter, 1989), and the distance between the Sun/Earth/Moon (Trundle et al, 2002) are other common conceptions regarding the cause of lunar phases.…”

Science Teachers' Views On Seasons And Climate Unit

“…The seasons and climate unit in the science curriculum is directly related to the geography course. However, since this subject was not included in previous science programs, it has been revealed in studies that teacher competencies in this subject are limited and misconceptions exist (Özcan et al, 2018;Semercioğlu et al, 2019). This situation is also valid for students, and it has been determined that students prefer to stay within stereotypes, have difficulty in presenting different perspectives, and have misconceptions especially about the position and movements of the Earth in space (Alkış, 2013;Bolat & Altınbaş, 2018;Boz, 2019;Özcan & Birgin, 2021;Özdemir et al, 2010;Sneider et al, 2011).…”