USING THE LUNAR PHASES CONCEPT INVENTORY (LPCI) TO PROBE COLLEGE STUDENTS' PRE-COURSE UNDERSTANDING OF LUNAR PHASES

Researchers now know that college students enter the introductory astronomy classroom not as blank slates, but often with pre-existing alternate mental models of many astronomy concepts, including lunar phases. If rooted deeply enough these alternate mental models may actually impair an individual's ability to learn a particular concept. To aid instructors in assessing individuals' mental models of lunar phases, the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) was developed. Based upon an in-depth qualitative investigation of students' understanding of lunar phases, this twenty-item multiple-choice inventory was designed to take advantage of the innovative model analysis theory. By using this theory in combination with the LPCI, an astronomy instructor can determine what alternative models their class possess, the probabilities of their class utilizing different mental models of lunar phases, as well as how consistently said mental models are utilized. As part of a national field test, pre-instructional and post-instructional LPCI data was collected for over 1000 students from multiple post-secondary institutions across the United States and Canada. This talk will discuss the results of the application of model analysis theory to the national field-test data.

This work supported by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's Funded University Research Program and the Office of Research and Projects.