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Astronomy Education Review / Volume 11 / Issue 1 / RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS

2012, AER, 11 (1), 010105, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2011025

Student Understanding of Gravity in Introductory College Astronomy

Published 12 March 2012

Kathryn E. Williamson and Shannon Willoughby

Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717

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Twenty-four free-response questions were developed to explore introductory college astronomy students’ understanding of gravity in a variety of contexts, including in and around Earth, throughout the solar system, and in hypothetical situations. Questions were separated into three questionnaires, each of which was given to a section of introductory college astronomy with 143, 137, and 32 respondents, respectively. Combined with 15 interviews, the exploratory, open-response format allowed themes to emerge naturally, with both documented and undocumented misconceptions observed. The breadth of questions allowed for descriptions of possible student mental frameworks, including alternative models and misapplication of the scientific model.

© 2012 The American Astronomical Society

KEYWORDS, PACS, and IPC

Keywords

astronomy, gravitation, physics education, student experiments, College non-majors, assessment

PACS

International Patent Classification (IPC)

  • G09B

    Educational or demonstration appliances; Appliances for teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute; Models; Planetaria; Globes; Maps; Diagrams

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

1539-1515 (online)

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef The American Astronomical Society

ARTICLE DATA

History
Received 31 August 2011
Accepted 03 February 2012
Published online 12 March 2012
Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/AER2011025

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Figures (2) Tables (1)

Figures (click on thumbnails to view enlargements)

FIG.1
A guiding concept map used to determine the types of questions that were given to students in the form of open-ended questionnaires.

FIG.1 Download High Resolution Image (.zip file) | Export Figure to PowerPoint

FIG.2
Variations of the boundary model for the strength of the gravitational field, F, as a function of distance from Earth center, r. (A) The correct scientific model, (B) the misconception that gravity is strongest at the center of the Earth, (C) the misconception that Earth’s gravity is constant throughout because it is a single mass, (D) the misconception that Earth’s gravity drops to zero at the edge of the atmosphere, (E) the misconception that the atmosphere encases the Earth’s gravity, and (F) the misconception that gravity very quickly diminishes to zero outside the atmosphere. Students may hold any combination of these models.

FIG.2 Download High Resolution Image (.zip file) | Export Figure to PowerPoint

Tables

Table I. An example of the codings of student responses by two raters.

View Table


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