Third grade students' ideas about the lunar phases

The purpose of this study was to examine third-grade students' ideas about the lunar phases prior to and following an instructional period designed to promote students' conceptual change. Four third-grade students enrolled in an elementary school near a large midwestern university participated in th is study. Qualitative methods of interviewing and observation were used to identify students' conceptions of the lunar phases. Analytical induction wa s used to analyze data collected in the forms of researcher notes and trans criptions of audio- and videotaped interviews and lessons. The results of t his study indicated that students held individual views that were scientifi cally accurate; however, they also held conceptions that were scientificall y inaccurate. In addition, the results demonstrate that students are capabl e of making conceptual changes; however, they also continued to hold views that were inconsistent with the scientific perspective. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.