Alternative views of the solar system among turkish students

Abstract

This study examines middle-school students' alternative frameworks of the earth's shape, its relative size and its distance from the sun and the moon. The sample was selected in the province of Giresun in Turkey. Sixty-five 14-year-old students participated in the research. A structured interview consisting of open-ended questions was employed to reveal students' ideas. The students' verbal responses were scrutinized and categorized according to their level of understanding. The results showed that the students had many alternative frameworks with regard to astronomical concepts. Implications and recommendations were made for teachers, textbook authors, teaching materials developers and researchers for future research to remedy students' alternative frameworks. © Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2007.