Design of a Teaching Intervention about Stellar Energy Production in Upper Secondary School

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Published: Apr 19, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/codiste.9925
Keywords:
astronomy education inquiry-based learning model of educational reconstruction nature of science stellar physics
Maria Ioannidou
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Anastasios Molohidis
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5710-8499
Abstract

Stellar physics is a particularly interesting teaching subject in secondary education settings, offering significant learning benefits in the conceptual, experimental and epistemological domain. This study presents the design of an inquiry-based teaching intervention, addressed to senior high school students, focusing on an interdisciplinary study of stars’ energy production, as well as on teaching specific aspects of the nature of scientific knowledge. More specifically, students initially investigate two incorrect hypotheses about solar energy production (chemical reactions and Kelvin - Helmholtz gravitational collapse mechanism), ultimately, confirming the scientifically correct hypothesis that stars release energy through thermonuclear fusion.

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