Training Professional Kindergarten Teachers and Preservice Kindergarten Teachers in Astronomy Education: The Challenges of the ABATAC Project

Abstract

This article discusses the challenges faced by professional kindergarten teachers (PTs) and preservice kindergarten teachers (PSTs) during their participation in the ABATAC project, which took place during the academic year 2021–2022. The project’s aim was to provide astronomy training to PTs and PSTs, enabling them to plan and deliver astronomy lessons for young children. A combined quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data was conducted to comprehend the difficulties encountered by the participants during their training and implementation in classrooms. The research showed that ABATAC had an overall positive impact and did not present significant difficulties to the participants. However, some challenges that stood out included developing age-appropriate astronomy lessons for children and implementing ABATAC’s methodological approaches. Although the participants had limited knowledge of astronomy concepts and lacked experience in teaching astronomy activities, their confidence and self-efficacy in delivering astronomy activities improved after the ABATAC training. Additionally, some other issues, such as navigating the ABATAC course, were also brought up. The program appears to have contributed to an increase in the participants’ readiness and confidence to organize and implement astronomy activities in their teaching.