Investigation of the 7th Grade Science-gifted Students' Understanding about the Lunar Phase through Their Own Observation and Interpretation

As homework, a total of 32 seventh grade science-gifted students were asked to observe the moon at daily intervals for one month duration. They were also asked to take the photos and to record relevant variables in a given format. The purpose of the task was to investigate what students thought, as they observed the moon. The results show that students paid attention mainly to the position of the moon relative to other variables such as the date in the lunar calendar, the observer's position on the earth, and the position of the sun. Overall students' response implied that students did not observe the lunar phase in relation with relevant variables. Some reponses from students show common misconceptions such as the cause of the lunar phase to reflect the shadow of the earth. However, some responses reveal students' idea that has been rarely reported in the previous researches. For example, some students drew the moon to revolve in the opposite direction. Significant number of students drew the sun's position to be due west before the full moon and due east after the full moon. Few students recognized the relation between the time of observation and observer's position on the earth. The results of current research suggest that not only the education but also the research needs to be expanded to consider informal environment such as the actual field conditions.