Justifying Alternative Models in Learning Astronomy: A study of K–8 science teachers’ understanding of frames of reference

Abstract

Understanding frames of reference is critical in describing planetary motion and learning astronomy. Historically, the geocentric and heliocentric models were defended and advocated against each other. Today, there are still many people who do not understand the relationship between the two models. This topic is not adequately treated in astronomy instruction and is unstudied in science education research. The present small‐scale study suggests that many science teachers of K–8 hold alternative conceptions about the models of the solar system. Most of the 14 teachers in the study believed that the geocentric model should not be used in classroom instruction because they thought that it was wrong. It was found that they justified their knowledge claims by following common sense, authority, pragmatism, or relativism. Their long‐held beliefs, lack of observational experience, and resistance in switching between two models made it difficult for them to have a deep understanding of the relationship of the two models. Specific teaching strategies addressing these learning difficulties on this topic are proposed.

Acknowledgements

This material is partially based upon work supported by the US National Science Foundation under Award No. ESI‐0227619. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The authors wish to thank Patrick Gibbons, Jack Wiegers, and anonymous reviewers who provided constructive comments on early drafts of this paper.

Notes

1. The reader can refer to Blown and Bryce (2006), to Sharp and Sharp (2007), to and Hans, Kali, and Yair (2008) for summaries on conceptual change studies in astronomy. This body of research is not terribly relevant to this study since we only focus on the topic of frames of reference.

2. Owing to the construct of eccentric, the earth is slightly off the geometric centre in Ptolemy’s model (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemaic_system).

3. It does exist but could not be observed due to the limited technology at that time.

4. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tycho_Brahe.