6–10 Jul 2026
Europe/Athens timezone
The registration for GIREP-MPTL 2026 is now open. Regular registration deadline: May 15, 2026.

Development of an undergraduate laboratory to support students’ understanding of daily celestial motion

7 Jul 2026, 17:00
20m
Room 8

Room 8

Oral presentation Astronomy and Astrophysics education (ASTRO) Parallel oral presentations

Speaker

Stephen Gammell (Dublin City University)

Description

Earth and space form an important part of most primary-level and secondary level science curricula and yet research results indicate that many children and adults are unable to correctly explain many basic phenomena such as earth’s seasons. A lack of well-developed spatial skills and the use of traditional instruction have been identified as barriers to understanding. This study presents findings from the implementation of a laboratory which uses a bespoke physical model to support first-year undergraduate students to investigate daily celestial motion and related phenomena.

Education level Age over 18 (excluding teacher education)
Physics topic Astronomy and Astrophysics
Research focus Innovative instructional strategies and pathways
Research method Mixed method (qualitative & quantitative)
Organizing preference criteria Track

Author

Stephen Gammell (Dublin City University)

Co-author

Presentation materials