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Learning About Astronomy: a Case Study Exploring How Grade 7 and 8 Students Experience Sites of Informal Learning in South Africa

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Learning About Astronomy: a Case Study Exploring How Grade 7 and 8 Students Experience Sites of Informal Learning in South Africa Learning about Astronomy: a case study exploring how grade 7 and 8 students experience sites of informal learning in South Africa Anthony Douglas Lelliott A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg 2007 Table of Contents Abstract........................................................................................................................... i Keywords .......................................................................................................................ii Declaration....................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgements....................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents........................................................................................................... v List of Appendices ........................................................................................................ ix List of Figures ................................................................................................................ x List of Tables ...............................................................................................................xii Abbreviations.............................................................................................................. xiv 1 Introduction to the study............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Background and Rationale for the Study.............................................................. 1 1.3 Research Problem and Research Questions ......................................................... 4 1.4 Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................ 6 1.5 The Researcher and Positionality ......................................................................... 6 1.6 Structure of the Thesis.......................................................................................... 8 2 Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 10 2.2 Research in Science Education........................................................................... 10 2.3 Astronomy Education......................................................................................... 15 2.3.1 Research in Planetaria ....................................................................................... 23 2.4 Informal Learning............................................................................................... 25 2.5 Edutainment or Entercation? .............................................................................. 28 2.6 Science communication and science literacy ..................................................... 31 2.7 Learning in museums and science centres.......................................................... 33 2.8 Theoretical Framework ...................................................................................... 37 2.8.1 The Contextual Model of Learning ................................................................... 37 2.8.2 Human Constructivism...................................................................................... 39 2.8.3 Conceptual Change............................................................................................ 45 2.9 Summary............................................................................................................. 47 3 Research Design and Methodology .......................................................................... 49 3.1 Introduction and Overview................................................................................. 49 3.2 Methodology....................................................................................................... 50 3.2.1 Paradigms of Research ...................................................................................... 50 3.2.2 A Case Study..................................................................................................... 51 3.3 Research Instruments.......................................................................................... 54 3.3.1 Personal Meaning Mapping............................................................................... 55 3.3.2 Interview Schedules .......................................................................................... 59 3.3.3 The pre-visit interview schedule ....................................................................... 59 v 3.3.4 The post-visit interview schedule...................................................................... 61 3.3.5 Interviews .......................................................................................................... 61 3.4 Data Collection................................................................................................... 62 3.4.1 Selection of the Study Sites............................................................................... 62 3.4.2 Selection of the Participants.............................................................................. 64 3.4.3 Triangulation ..................................................................................................... 67 3.5 Ethical issues...................................................................................................... 68 3.6 Issues of credibility and trustworthiness ............................................................ 71 3.6.1 Validity.............................................................................................................. 71 3.6.2 Reliability .......................................................................................................... 72 3.6.3 Reflexivity......................................................................................................... 72 3.7 Reflection ........................................................................................................... 73 4 Setting the Scene – a narrative of the visits ............................................................. 74 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 74 4.2 A visit to Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory................................. 77 4.2.1 Before the visit .................................................................................................. 77 4.2.2 “Planets and stars and like, well, space” ........................................................... 79 4.2.3 The Sun, Whispers and Rockets........................................................................ 82 4.2.4 Break with Gravity ............................................................................................ 87 4.2.5 Taking the Solar System for a Walk.................................................................. 89 4.2.6 Landing on the Moon ........................................................................................ 91 4.2.7 The Telescope and Control Room..................................................................... 93 4.2.8 After the visit..................................................................................................... 95 4.3 Discussion........................................................................................................... 96 4.4 A visit to the Johannesburg Planetarium............................................................ 99 4.5 Discussion......................................................................................................... 106 5 An Analysis of Collective Learning ........................................................................ 108 5.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 108 5.2 The Research Sample ....................................................................................... 108 5.3 Learning in Science Centres............................................................................. 111 5.4 Big Ideas........................................................................................................... 113 5.4.1 Gravity............................................................................................................. 113 5.4.2 Stars and the Sun ............................................................................................. 116 5.4.3 Solar System.................................................................................................... 118 5.4.4 Size and Scale.................................................................................................. 119 5.5 Significant Ideas............................................................................................... 120 5.5.1 Day and Night ................................................................................................. 120 5.5.2 Phases of the Moon ......................................................................................... 122 5.5.3 Dominant Artefact: Parabolic/Satellite Dish ..................................................
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