A preliminary study of the impact of high school astronomy research-based learning in Thailand

In Thailand, annually there are more than 50 high school students presenting in the Thai Astronomical Conference (Student Session) and more than 20 high school students joining research activities mentored by their teachers and NARIT staff through the “Advanced Teacher Training” scheme. These opportunities offer a unique experience for students to learn various skills through proposing a research question, design research methodologies, acquire different knowledge conducting research, present and communicate their results and response to criticism. Data collection for this qualitative research study is conducted through interviews with the senior high school students who completed their research presentations, with a control group of students who did not have research-based learning experience but had other informal learning experiences such as planetarium visit, or after school astronomy activities. The study looks into students’ learning behaviour, attitude towards science, skills acquired for other subjects, interest in science careers.