Astronomy in school education: An absence that matters


Published: Sep 12, 2024
Keywords:
School Astronomy School Geography
Georgios Bampasidis
Apostolia Galani
Nikos Lambrinos
Issaak Parcharidis
Abstract

Astronomy is absent from the Greek curriculum as a separate subject, with Astronomy topics only appearing as supplementary material, quotations, or theoretical applications of other disciplines. This is in stark contrast to the numerous applications of Astronomy in everyday life and the significant public interest in space. Therefore, it is crucial to find ways to integrate Astronomy into school education. To address this, this paper presents the initial findings from a bottom-up evaluation of a pilot program that proposes the inclusion of Astronomy topics in the school curriculum through Geography. This evaluation has been conducted by educators — students of the master's program "Teaching and Public Understanding of Natural Sciences and Digital Technologies" at the Department of Pedagogy and Primary Education, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Article Details
  • Section
  • ORAL PRESENTASIONS
Downloads
References
DeGrasse Tyson, N. (2019). Αστροφυσική για βιαστικούς, Εκδ. Παπαδόπουλος, Αθήνα.
Χαλκιά, Κ. (2006). Το Ηλιακό Σύστημα μέσα στο Σύμπαν: Η διαδρομή από την επιστημονική γνώση στη σχολική γνώση. Πανεπιστημιακές Εκδόσεις Κρήτης. σελ. 588.
Arbogast, A. F. (2020). Discovering Physical Geography (4th ed.). Wiley Publishing, Hoboken, N.J.
Bampasidis, G., & Galani, Α. (Subm.). Geo - Space: When Earth Geography meets Space Geography, Ιn Teaching the world's complex challenges and Curricular changes in Geography education (eds. M. Hardouin & C. Leininger-Frézal), Springer International Publishing AG
Favia, A., Comins, N. F., Thorpe, G. L., & Batuski, D. J. (2014). A direct examination of college student misconceptions in astronomy: A new instrument. J. Rev. Astron. Educ. Outreach, 1(1), A21-A39.
Lewis, J. S. (1997). Physics and Chemistry of the Solar System. Revised Edition, Academic Press.
Rogers, A., & Horrocks, N. (2010). Teaching adults. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Marek, B. & Macák, T. (2014). The Bottom up Evaluation at Universities. American Journal of Educational Research, 2(9), 823-827., doi: 10.12691/education-2-9-18