Abstract

FRANCO-MARISCAL, Antonio Joaquín  and  LOPEZ-FLORES, Virginia María. Retention of Knowledge about the Universe: A Study of Fifth-graders in Spain, Based on a Teaching Strategy of Scientific Terminology. RMIE [online]. 2017, vol.22, n.72, pp.235-271. ISSN 1405-6666.

The general objective of this study is to analyze the retention of knowledge of the universe among eleven-year-old students in Spain; the study is based on a teaching strategy of scientific terminology with six blocks of content (stars, planets, dwarf planets, celestial bodies, satellites, and space exploration) and three levels of difficulty. To attain this end, the students were given a written test three times during the intervention (pre-test, post-test, and ex post facto). Following implementation, an increase was observed in the average use of scientific terminology, from 18.5 to 43.5 appropriate uses per student. The statistical tests of McNemar and Wilcoxon suggest progress in learning, detecting difficulties such as the pertinence of dwarf planets in the solar system, the star around which such planets and other celestial bodies revolve, and confusion about space exploration and its contributions.

Keywords : science teaching; scientific language; teaching strategies; learning problems; elementary education; Spain.