INVESTIGATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING LEVELS IN ASTRONOMY SUBJECTS ACCORDING TO GRADE LEVELS

Abstract This study aims to compare the alternative concept and achievement scores of secondary school students in the subjects of the structure of celestial bodies, celestial events and the motions of celestial bodies in terms of grade levels. The survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was used in the study. To identify alternative concepts, the quantitative data collection tool of the research, the 20-item Alternative Concept Identification Test (ACIT), each consisting of three stages, was created. The test development stages were followed for ACIT, the necessary validity and reliability studies were conducted, the KR-20 value was found to be 0.82, and the Cronbach-Alpha value was found to be 0.83. The study group of the research consists of 332 students studying in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grades in a province in Turkey. The sample in the study was determined by the monographic sampling method, one of the non-probability-based methods. The study created five score types to compare students' alternative concept and achievement scores according to grade levels. Reliability analyses were performed for these score types, and Cronbach-Alpha values for all were found. When secondary school student's achievements in the subjects of the structure of celestial bodies, celestial events, and the motions of celestial bodies were compared in terms of the grade level variable, the correct scores showed a significant difference. In contrast, the Alternative Concept Score mostly did not show a significant difference.