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ERIC Number: EJ1014061
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013-Dec
Pages: 47
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1539-1515
EISSN: N/A
Investigating Student Ideas about Cosmology III: Big Bang Theory, Expansion, Age, and History of the Universe
Trouille, Laura E.; Coble, Kim; Cochran, Geraldine L.; Bailey, Janelle M.; Camarillo, Carmen T.; Nickerson, Melissa D.; Cominsky, Lynn R.
Astronomy Education Review, v12 n1 p010110-1--010110-47 Dec 2013
We have undertaken a multi-semester study of student ideas in an undergraduate general education astronomy integrated lecture and lab course with a focus on active learning at an urban, minority serving institution. We collected individual interviews ("N" = 15) and course artifacts ("N" approximately 60), such as pre-course homework essays and midterm and final exam questions in a variety of formats. Continuing our work from a previous study (Coble et al. 2013), here we examine student ideas with regard to the Big Bang Theory, expansion, age, and history of the Universe. We find that a significant fraction of students hold alternate conceptions, including: the Big Bang Theory describes the creation of planets and/or our Solar System; the "Big Bang" refers to an explosion within a small point or mass; there is no evidence in support of the Big Bang Theory; the Universe has always existed; and stars, galaxies, and/or planets formed at the same time or very soon after the creation of the Universe. (Contains 36 tables, 23 figures, and 10 notes.) [See: "Investigating Student Ideas about Cosmology-Part I" at EJ1005872, and "Part II" at EJ1014057.]
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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