From the Big Bang to Life beyond Earth: German Preservice Physics Teachers’ Conceptions of Astronomy and the Nature of Science

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a qualitative study that aimed to explore the ideas of 22 preservice physics teachers regarding astronomy concepts both within and beyond the solar system, as well as their understanding of the Nature of Science in the context of astronomy. The study employed a combination of open-ended vignette tasks and ranking tasks, which were adapted from previous research. The results reveal that while the majority of the preservice teachers held appropriate conceptions of astronomy concepts, some of their ideas lacked depth and were superficial. Moreover, their understanding of the Nature of Science in the context of astronomy was found to be limited. This study highlights the importance of providing further education and training in this area, as well as the need to develop and test effective teaching strategies to enhance preservice teachers’ and physics education students’ understanding of astronomy concepts and the Nature of Science.