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

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

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 st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. Physics education research Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 010139 - 10158
Main Authors: Colantonio, Arturo, Marzoli, Irene, Puddu, Emanuella, Bardelli, Sandro, Fulco, Maria Teresa, Galano, Silvia, Terranegra, Luciano, Testa, Italo
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: College Park American Physical Society 28-05-2021
Subjects:
Astronomical models
Astronomy
Career Choice
Children & youth
Concept Formation
Elementary School Students
Factor analysis
Foreign Countries
Gender Differences
Girls
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Grade 9
Identification (Psychology)
Middle School Students
Model testing
Multivariate statistical analysis
Science Instruction
Self Esteem
Structural equation modeling
Structural Equation Models
Student Interests
Students
Value Judgment
Italy
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Summary: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.
ISSN:2469-9896
2469-9896
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.17.010139