ERIC Number: EJ1014057
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Dec
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1539-1515
EISSN: N/A
Investigating Student Ideas about Cosmology II: Composition of the Universe
Coble, Kim; Nickerson, Melissa D.; Bailey, Janelle M.; Trouille, Laura E.; Cochran, Geraldine L.; Camarillo, Carmen T.; Cominsky, Lynn R.
Astronomy Education Review, v12 n1 p010111-1--010111-26 Dec 2013
Continuing our work from a previous study (Coble et al. 2013), we examine undergraduates' ideas on the composition of the Universe as they progress through a general education astronomy integrated lecture and laboratory course with a focus on active learning. The study was conducted over five semesters at an urban minority-serving institution. The data collected include individual interviews ("N" = 15) and course artifacts ("N" approximately 60), such as prelab surveys, and midterm and final exam questions in a variety of formats. We find that students easily obtain a superficial knowledge of the origins of the chemical elements and the existence of dark matter and dark energy, which they are generally unaware of pre-instruction. However, they are hindered in their ability to reproduce the argument for the existence of dark matter at least in part because of weaknesses in their graph-reading abilities. (Contains 28 tables, 8 figures, and 4 notes.) [See: Investigating Student Ideas about Cosmology-Part I at EJ1005872; and Part III at EJ1014061.]
Descriptors: Astronomy, Undergraduate Students, College Science, Science Instruction, Scientific Concepts, Concept Formation, Active Learning, Introductory Courses, Urban Universities, Minority Group Students, Mixed Methods Research, Semi Structured Interviews, Pretests Posttests
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Illinois
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A