The Modern U.S. High School Astronomy Course, Its Status and Makeup II: Additional Results

Abstract

A postal survey of high school astronomy teachers strongly confirms many results of an earlier electronic survey. Additional and new results include a measure of the level of inquiry (more structured inquiry and teacher-led) in the classroom as well as data showing that more emphasis is given to traditional topics than to contemporary astronomy research. The majority of students taking astronomy are college-bound, which offers support for the idea that astronomy might be considered as meeting college admissions requirements, even though it is not a laboratory or “core” science course. More usage of planetarium software is found than previously suspected, and more definitive usage rates for fixed and portable planetariums are found. By combining the two surveys’ results we obtain an even clearer picture of the current nature of high school astronomy courses.