The Influence of Inquiry-Based Remote Observations via Powerful Optic Robotic Telescopes on High School Students’ Conceptions of Physics and of Learning Physics

B. Ron Zohar, R. Trumper

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Since the 1980s, studies have increasingly shown that traditional teaching causes a deterioration in students’ conceptions of physics and of learning physics. The present study examined the influence of an intervention on high school students’ conceptions of physics and of learning physics. The intervention included two components: a unique design of inquiry-based teaching of astrophysics and explicit nature of science (NOS) instruction. In the present study, we found a significant improvement in students’ conceptions of physics and of learning physics, in the study group, in most aspects examined. Another finding was that in most aspects, traditional teaching combined with an explicit NOS instruction did not change the students’ conceptions in most aspects examined.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)635-645
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Science Education and Technology
Volume29
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Sep 2020
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We would like to thank the following: The whole Faulkes Telescope Project team for allowing the students to use the telescopes network and for their support and advice all along. Especially, we would like to thank Dr. Paul Roche, Dr. Fraser Lewis, and Mrs. Alison Tripp for their support all along. The Astronomer Mr. Ernesto Guido of the Italian Astronomical Society (Associazione Friulana di Astronomia e Meteorologia) for his support, advice, and willingness to help at all times. Professor Meir Meidav and Doctor Noah Brosch, Tel Aviv University, for their guidance, which gave us the basis for designing and developing inquiry-based teaching of astrophysics, and for their support all along. Mr. Moshe Reich, founder and Director of ACHERET Center: Multi-Cultural Researchers Fellowship Centre in the Galilee, Israel, for all his help and support with this study.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Springer Nature B.V.

Keywords

  • Conceptions of physics
  • Inquiry-based learning
  • Learning physics
  • Robotic telescopes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Engineering (all)

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