A Comparison of the Effectiveness of the Planetarium and the Classroom Chalkboard and Celestial Globe in the Teaching of Specific Astronomical
Abstract
This study was undertaken because of the need to evaluate the effectiveness of the planetarium as a teaching device. Effectiveness for the purpose of this study was defined as the degree to which stated behavioral objectives were achieved. Since mental activity is not directly observable, it has to be represented by some sort of behavior that is observable. A behavioral objective is a desired outcome of learning that is observable.
The formal research problem was:
Is the planetarium a more effective teaching device than a combination of the classroom chalkboard and celestial globe in the teaching of selected astronomical concepts in terms of the immediate attainment and retention of specified cognitive behavioral objectives and the attainment of specified affective behavioral objectives?
The planetarium teaching situation was compared to the class- room chalkboard and celestial globe teaching situation in the teaching of selected astronomical concepts. The classroom chalkboard and celestial globe teaching situation was chosen for comparison because it represented a standard adequately equipped teaching situation for the astronomical concepts involved.
The astronomical concepts are the diurnal and yearly motions of stars, the superior planets and the sun, and the celestial sphere and precession.
The null hypotheses were:
1. There is no difference in the attainment of the cognitive behavioral objectives between the two teaching situations as measured by the Selected Astronomical Principles Test.
2. There is no difference in the attainment of the affective behavioral objectives between the two teaching situations as measured by the Selected Astronomical Principles Test.
The cognitive behavioral objectives are concerned with knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. The affective behavioral objectives are concerned with attitudes and appreciations.
The Selected Astronomical Principles Test was developed because of the nonexistence of an available standardized test with regard to the content and stated objectives of the experiment. A jury of professional astronomers and planetarium directors established the content validity of the test. The reliability of the test was established by means of two pilot studies.
