A SURVEY OF BRITISH PRIMARY-SCHOOL TEACHERS UNDERSTANDING OF THE EARTHS PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE

This paper reports the results of research carried out in 1992 into pr imary school teachers' understanding of one strand of the science Nati onal Curriculum for England and Wales, namely The Earth's place in the universe. Based on the findings of an earlier small-scale interview s tudy, a questionnaire was designed covering (a) observations of the sk y (Sun, Moon, stars and planets), (b) explanations for day and night, seasons and the phases of the Moon, (c) the scale of the solar system and (d) the solar system and the universe. The questionnaire was given to a sample consisting of 66 practising teachers and 54 graduates who had just completed their one-year teacher training course. Responses to each part of the questionnaire are reported in detail. Findings are interpreted in terms of a three-stage analytical framework (the Sun/E arth system, the solar system and the universe) representing a scienti fic understanding of this topic. Each of these three stages is defined in terms of a number of sub-concepts which, it is suggested, primary school teachers need to understand if they are to teach the National C urriculum adequately. The principal finding is that there is a mismatc h between primary teachers' existing understanding and the requirement s of the National Curriculum in this area. An analysis of teachers' un derstanding is presented for each of the sub-concepts, and in terms of the framework as a whole. Some of the implications of the results, an d the future needs of teachers, are discussed.