Dr. Kathy Cabe Trundle
Science Education
School of Teaching and Learning
The Ohio State University

Fourth Grade Elementary Students' Conceptions of Standards-based Lunar
Concepts

This study investigated fourth grade students' knowledge of observable 
moon phases and patterns of change and conceptual understanding of the 
cause of moon phases before and after inquiry-based instruction 
(McDermott, 1996). Pretest and posttest data for 48 students were used to 
address the research question related to observable moon phases and 
patterns of change. Interviews were conducted with 10 students on a 
post-only basis to provide data on understanding the cause of moon phases. 
The researchers used the constant comparative method to analyze data 
(Glaser 1965, Strauss and Corbin 1994). Pretest results indicate these 
students had not met the expectations expressed in the National Science 
Education Standards for lunar concepts (National Research Council, 1996). 
Post results reveal a very positive performance on observable moon phases 
and patterns of change, as well as the cause of moon phases. 
Interpretation and implications of these findings will be provided.

The study to be presented is part of a larger research agenda, which is 
grounded in conceptual change theory and includes content knowledge, 
alternative conceptions, conceptual change, and conceptual durability in 
response to different instructional interventions. Dr. Trundle^Rs research 
projects have focused on conceptual understanding and conceptual change 
across age and grade levels (i.e., elementary, middle school, and 
university undergraduate and graduate students), across time, across 
different instructional contexts (i.e., an undergraduate science course, a 
science methods course, elementary and middle school classrooms, and an 
inservice teacher institute), and in response to different instructional 
interventions. Her earlier research also included the use of 
two-dimensional drawings versus three-dimensional analogical models to 
represent astronomy concepts, and she has studied, as part of her research 
protocol, the potential instructive value of using these models in 
preinstruction interviews. Currently she is conducting a multi-year, 
quasi-experimental design study to assess the efficacy of instructional 
approaches using observation in nature vs. computer simulations to promote 
conceptual change. Her future research plans include the study of the 
initial explanatory frameworks that young children develop about science 
concepts before they ever enter schools or have formalized instruction.