Describing Astronomy Identity of Upper Primary and Middle School Students through Structural Equation Modeling

Autor/inn/en	Colantonio, Arturo; Marzoli, Irene; Puddu, Emanuella; Bardelli, Sandro; Fulco, Maria Teresa; Galano, Silvia; Terranegra, Luciano; Testa, Italo
Titel	Describing Astronomy Identity of Upper Primary and Middle School Students through Structural Equation Modeling
Quelle	In: Physical Review Physics Education Research, 17 (2021) 1, Artikel 010139 (20 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Colantonio, Arturo) ORCID (Marzoli, Irene) ORCID (Bardelli, Sandro) ORCID (Testa, Italo)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2469-9896
Schlagwörter	Elementary School Students; Middle School Students; Astronomy; Identification (Psychology); Science Instruction; Student Interests; Value Judgment; Self Esteem; Concept Formation; Grade 5; Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8; Grade 9; Gender Differences; Foreign Countries; Italy + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Middle school; Middle schools; Student; Students; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Astronomie; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Studieninteresse; Werturteil; Self-esteem; Selbstaufmerksamkeit; Concept learning; Begriffsbildung; School year 05; 5. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 05; School year 06; 6. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 06; School year 07; 7. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 07; School year 08; 8. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 08; School year 09; 9. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 09; Geschlechterkonflikt; Ausland; Italien
Abstract	We describe how young students situate themselves with respect to astronomy through an identity framework that features four dimensions: interest, utility value, confidence, and conceptual knowledge. Overall, about 900 Italian students, from 5th to 9th grade (9-14 years old), were involved in the study. We tested our model using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Differences between girls and boys and across school levels were also investigated. Results show that interest has both a direct and an indirect effect on astronomy identity. The indirect effect of interest on identity is mediated by utility value. Moreover, confidence mediates the effect of interest on conceptual knowledge. Concerning differences between girls and boys, we found that the effect of interest on identity is greater for girls than for boys and that the utility value mediates the effect of interest on identity for boys but not for girls. Finally, our findings show also that the students' interest in astronomy and confidence in their performance decrease with age, with a potential negative impact on conceptual knowledge and future career choice in astronomy. The astronomy identity framework can be employed to examine the role of affective variables on performance and persistence in astronomy and to improve the design of teaching-learning activities that can potentially stimulate a lasting interest in astronomy. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01