Undergraduate learners’ prior knowledge in an Introductory astronomy course

When a student first attends a university level course, they often enter with a certain amount of prior knowledge on the topics of the course. This prior knowledge can be in the form of facts, beliefs, concepts, values, or attitudes and will impact the way that student processes new information. To ensure every individual is processing new information correctly, it is important for instructors and mentors to address their learners’ prior knowledge and guide them in the correct direction if they possess an inaccurate conception. For undergraduate learners in an introductory astronomy course, the cause of the phases of the Moon is a fundamental concept they should have some prior knowledge on from middle or high school. This case study was designed to investigate how undergraduate learners’ prior knowledge on the causes of the phases of the Moon has evolved throughout a portion of a semester based on formal instruction of the topic. For this study formal instruction included lectures on the lunar phases and a lab that was designed to target common conceptions learners possess about the phases of the Moon. To assess the learners’ prior knowledge before and after instruction, a survey with free response questions pertaining to the Moon was administered. The results from the two surveys show that formal instruction has a positive impact upon the learners’ prior knowledge and designing activities based on common conceptions around the phases of the Moon helped learners transition from these common conceptions to more scientific ones.