MISCONCEPTIONS OF THE SCIENCE EDUCATION FRESHMEN STUDENTS TOWARDS ASTRONOMY

Abstract

Learning astronomy poses challenges for learners, often resulting in misconceptions that hinder scientific progress and comprehension. This study is a descriptive-survey research that aimed to identify common misconceptions among Teacher Education Science freshmen students in Astronomy. The study involved 37 students from a college of teacher education in a state university in the Philippines. The researchers used an assessment test with 40 items to gather data on three different areas of astronomy: planets, stars, and asteroid, meteors, and comets. The test was validated by experts in science education and professional education. Based from the findings, it revealed that students struggle with understanding key concepts in astronomy, particularly related to planets, stars, comets, asteroids, and meteors. They have moderate misconceptions about planets and stars, but high misconceptions about comets, asteroids, and meteors. This highlights the need for targeted interventions and improved science education to address these misconceptions and improve students' understanding of astronomy.