Abstract
Primary school learners often use naïve ideas rather than normative notions to understand astronomy concepts, because they rely on inadequate mental models to decipher the concepts. The predominant use of traditional teaching methods, where teachers are seen as the main source of information, to teach astronomy could partly account for this inadequacy. The use of web-based instructional approaches, which explicitly demonstrate the astronomy concepts perceived as difficult by learners, could enhance their transition from naïve to normative understanding of the concepts. This study investigated the effectiveness of a Targeted Web-Based Instructional (TWBI) technique in developing Grade 4 learners’ understanding of the astronomy concepts contained in the South African Natural Sciences and Technology Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS). The TWBI used in this study involved the use of web-simulations, applications, search engines, and web links to multimedia, to study astronomy concepts through an educational Social Networking System (SNS) called Edmodo. A sequential mixed methods design was used, where the quantitative aspect involved a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test control group design, while the qualitative part used a case study design. The sample consisted of 55 Grade 4 learners attending a primary school in Soweto, Johannesburg, during the 2018 academic year. The experimental group comprised of 27 learners, while 28 learners participated in the control group. Data were collected using an online achievement test, a Web-Attitude Scale (WAS) and individual semi-structured interviews. On the one hand, comparison of performance of the experimental and control groups in the post-test, revealed a statistically non-significant difference. A comparison of the performance of male and female participants also showed a statistically non-significant difference. On the other hand, findings from interviews and the WAS survey revealed that students appreciated and benefited from the use of TWBI to study astronomy. I therefore recommend the use of TWBI for teaching Grade 4 astronomy.
M.Ed. (Childhood Education)