Investigating Student Ideas about Cosmology II: Composition of the Universe

• Published in: Astronomy education review Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 010111 - 10126
• Main Authors: Coble, Kim, Nickerson, Melissa D, Bailey, Janelle M, Trouille, Laura E, Cochran, Geraldine L, Camarillo, Carmen T, Cominsky, Lynn R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Astronomical Society 01.12.2013
• Subjects: Active Learning; Astronomy; College Science; Concept Formation; Illinois; Introductory Courses; Kruskal Wallis Test; Minority Group Students; Mixed Methods Research; Pretests Posttests; Science Instruction; Scientific Concepts; Semi Structured Interviews; Undergraduate Students; Urban Universities; Illinois
• ISSN: 1539-1515; 1539-1515
• DOI: 10.3847/AER2012039

Continuing our work from a previous study (Coble et al. 2013), we examine undergraduates' ideas on the composition of the Universe as they progress through a general education astronomy integrated lecture and laboratory course with a focus on active learning. The study was conducted over five semesters at an urban minority-serving institution. The data collected include individual interviews ("N" = 15) and course artifacts ("N" approximately 60), such as prelab surveys, and midterm and final exam questions in a variety of formats. We find that students easily obtain a superficial knowledge of the origins of the chemical elements and the existence of dark matter and dark energy, which they are generally unaware of pre-instruction. However, they are hindered in their ability to reproduce the argument for the existence of dark matter at least in part because of weaknesses in their graph-reading abilities. (Contains 28 tables, 8 figures, and 4 notes.) [See: Investigating Student Ideas about Cosmology-Part I at EJ1005872; and Part III at EJ1014061.]