The Frayer Model as Analysis of Instruction and Student Knowledge in Undergraduate Astronomy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v12i4.5198Keywords:
Frayer Model, pedagogy, undergraduate, blackbody radiation, thematic analysis, stem education, scientific literacy, introductory astronomy, astronomy education researchAbstract
The American public’s factual knowledge about science has remained relatively unchanged over the past two decades. Research on scientific literacy connects to science education, interactive instruction techniques, and how introductory undergraduate science courses are many students’ last formal exposure to science. This highlights a need for research on how these courses can contribute toward a scientifically-literate citizenry. This study qualitatively analyzes how instruction in an introductory undergraduate astronomy course informs students on an astronomy concept, specifically blackbody radiation. A case study method of thematic analysis was employed by administering a pre- and post-lesson Frayer Model to students in an ASTR 1010 section and recording the professor’s lecture. Thematic analysis was conducted on all Frayer Models and the lecture transcript. Three key themes (refined understanding, blackbody spectrum, and ideal physical body) emerged, summarizing how students’ knowledge changed following instruction. The results section contextualizes these themes within how the concepts were taught. Blackbody radiation was entirely foreign to most students. Students utilized a few keywords, such as “perfect absorber,” to describe blackbodies. Their visual comprehension improved, for they accurately drew and labeled blackbody spectra. This study is novel in using the Frayer Model as an assessment tool in astronomy education research. The findings contextualize scientific literacy and nuance our understanding of how students conceptualize lecture-based instruction. Educators can interpret the results when considering how to teach blackbody radiation. Implications are made to a growing body of knowledge on language in astronomy education.
Downloads
References or Bibliography
Bower, C. A., & Liben, L. S. (2021). Can a Domain‐General Spatial Intervention Facilitate Children’s Science Learning? A Lesson From Astronomy. Child Development, 92(1), 76–100. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13439
Bryce, T. G. K., & Blown, E. J. (2012). The Novice-Expert Continuum in Astronomy Knowledge. International Journal of Science Education, 34(4), 545–587. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2011.642325
Colin S. Wallace. (2020). Developing peer instruction questions for quantitative problems for an upper-division astronomy course. American Journal of Physics, 88, 214-221. https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0000504
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research (3rd ed.): Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. SAGE Publications, Inc., https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781452230153
Cox, M., Steegen, A., & De Cock, M. (2016). How Aware Are Teachers of Students' Misconceptions in Astronomy? A Qualitative Analysis in Belgium. Science Education International, 27(2), 277-300. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1104665.pdf
Creighton, J., & Mello, R. (2021). TALE OF SCALE: Infusing astronomical concepts into an undergraduate storytelling course. Planetarian, 50(1). TALE-OF-SCALE-Infusing-astronomical-concepts-into-an-undergraduate-storytelling-course_202103planetarian.pdf (uwm.edu)
Crider, A. (2015). Teaching Visual Literacy in the Astronomy Classroom. New Directions for Teaching & Learning, 2015(141), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20118
Deslauriers, L., Schelew, E., & Wieman, C. (2011). Improved Learning in a Large-Enrollment Physics Class. Science, 332(6031), 862–864. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1201783
Dobaria A. S. (2018). Impacts of a course-based undergraduate research experience in introductory astronomy using robotic telescopes [Master’s thesis, San Francisco State University]. CSU Institutional Repository. http://dspace.calstate.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/213656/AS362018PHYSD63.pdf
Eun, B. (2010). From learning to development: a sociocultural approach to instruction. Cambridge Journal of Education, 40(4), 401–418. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2010.526593
Frayer, D.A., Frederick, W.C., & Klausmeier, H.J. (1969). A schema for testing the level of concept mastery; Report from the project on situational variables and efficiency of concept learning. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Research and Development Center for Cognitive Learning.
Gallup. (2021). Wellcome Global Monitor—How Covid-19 Affected People’s Lives and Their Views about Science. Retrieved January 5, 2023, from Wellcome Global Monitor 2020: Covid-19 Wellcome
Gönen, S. (2008). A Study on Student Teachers’ Misconceptions and Scientifically Acceptable Conceptions About Mass and Gravity. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 17(1), 70–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-007-9083-1
Impey, C. (2013). Science literacy of undergraduates in the United States. Organizations, People and Strategies in Astronomy, 2, 353–364. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258843477_Science_Literacy_of_Undergraduates_in_the_United_States
Jacobs, G. (1989). Word usage misconceptions among first‐year university physics students. International Journal of Science Education, 11(4), 395-399. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069890110404
Ka Chun Yu, Sahami, K., & Dove, J. (2017). Learning about the scale of the solar system using digital planetarium visualizations. American Journal of Physics, 85(7), 550–556. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4984812
Kardaras, I., & Kallery, M. (2020). A teaching module for blackbody radiation using the continuous spectra of stars. Physics Education, 55(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ab853c
Keeley, P. (2008). Science formative assessment: 75 practical strategies for linking assessment, instruction, and learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press and Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
Kikas, E. (1998). The impact of teaching on students' definitions and explanations of astronomical phenomena. Learning and Instruction, 8(5), 439–454. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-4752(98)00004-8
Lawrenz, F., Huffman, D., & Appeldoorn, K. (2005). Enhancing the Instructional Environment: Optimal Learning in Introductory Science Classes. Journal of College Science Teaching, 34(7), 40–44.
Lelliott, A., & Rollnick, M. (2010). Big Ideas: A review of astronomy education research 1974–2008. International Journal of Science Education, 32(13), 1771–1799. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690903214546
LoPresto, M., & Murrell, S. (2011). An Astronomical Misconceptions Survey. J. Coll. Sci. Teaching, 40(5), 14-22. Retrieved November 10, 2022, from https://search.proquest.com/openview/89a1843314482b57eb074cbc5490efd2/1?pq-origsite=gscholar
McPhearson, P. T., Gill, S. P. D., Pollack, R., & Sable, J. E. (2008). Increasing scientific literacy in undergraduate education: A case study from “Frontiers of Science” at Columbia University. In F. Darbellay, M. Cockell J. Billotte, & F. Waldvogel (Eds.), In a vision of transdisciplinarity: Laying foundations for a world knowledge dialogue (pp. 146–159). Lausand, Switzerland: EPFL Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781439808023.ch5.3
Michael, J. A., Richardson, D., Rovick, A., Modell, H., Bruce, D., Horwitz, B., Hudson, M., Silverthorn, D., Whitescarver, S., & Williams, S. (1999). Undergraduate students' misconceptions about respiratory physiology. The American Journal of Physiology, 277(6 Pt 2), S127–S135. https://doi.org/10.1152/advances.1999.277.6.S127
Moje, E.B. (1995). Talking about science: An interpretation of the effects of teacher talk in a high school science classroom. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32, 349-371. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660320405
National Science Board. (2018). Science and Engineering Indicators 2018. NSB-2018-1. Alexandria, VA: National Science Foundation. Available at https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/indicators/.
Nicholson, S., & Mulvey, P. J. (2022). Roster of Astronomy Departments with Enrollment and Degree Data, 2021. American Institute of Physics. Retrieved September 20, 2022, from https://www.aip.org/statistics/reports/roster-astronomy-departments-enrollment-and-degree-data-2021
NRC (National Research Council) (1996) National Science Education Standards, Washington, DC, National Academy Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/4962
Özcan, Ö. (2015). Investigating students’ mental models about the nature of light in different contexts. European Journal of Physics, 36(6), 1. https://doi.org/10.1088/0143-0807/36/6/065042
Parlett, M., & Hamilton, D. (1972). “Evaluation as Illumination: A New Approach to the Study of Innovatory Programs”. 35. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED167634.pdf
Percy, J.R. (1998). Astronomy Education: an international perspective. International Astronomical Union Colloquium, 162, 347–355. https://doi.org/10.1017/S025292110011468X
Prather, E. E., Rudolph, A. L., & Brissenden, G. (2009). Teaching and learning astronomy in the 21st century. Physics Today, 62(10), 41-47. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3248478
Prather, E. E., Slater, T. F., Adams, J. P., & Brissenden, G. (2013). Lecture-tutorials for introductory astronomy (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Saldaña, J. (2021). The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers (Fourth edition.). SAGE Publications.
Studhalter, U. T., Leuchter, M., Tettenborn, A., Elmer, A., Edelsbrunner, P. A., & Saalbach, H. (2021). Early science learning: The effects of teacher talk. Learning & Instruction, 71, N.PAG. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2020.101371
Thomas, A. F. (2016). Naming the solar system: Implementation of vocabulary strategies to improve scientific literacy. Science Scope, 39(8), 45-52. https://doi.org/10.2505/4/ss16_039_08_45
Thomas, J.A., and Pederson, J.E. (2003). Reforming elementary science teacher preparation: What about extant teaching beliefs? School Science and Mathematics, 103(7), 319-330. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2003.tb18209.x
Wellington, J., & Osborne, J. (2001). Language and literacy in science education. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research. (4th ed). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Yip, D. Y. (1998). Identification of misconceptions in novice biology teachers and remedial strategies for improving biology learning. International Journal of Science Education, 20(4), 461-477. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0950069980200406
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2023 Kaylee DeGennaro; Amanda Frasier
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright holder(s) granted JSR a perpetual, non-exclusive license to distriute & display this article.
