When Is an Interview an Inter View? The Historical and Recent Development of Methodologies Used to Investigate...

Area of Science:

• Science Education Research
• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Historical review of interview research in science education spanning over 120 years.
• Focus on investigating children's basic astronomy knowledge and cognitive development.
• Addresses methodological challenges in researching knowledge acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• Critically evaluate interview, questionnaire, and test techniques used in astronomy education research.
• Examine methodologies for understanding children's cosmologies and everyday astronomical phenomena comprehension.
• Analyze theoretical perspectives from cognitive psychology, education, and neuroscience.

Main Methods:

• Historical analysis of research methodologies in children's astronomy knowledge.
• Critical examination of techniques for assessing cognitive development and knowledge acquisition.
• Review of studies on children's cosmologies, incorporating insights from psychology and neuroscience.

Main Results:

• Identifies effective strategies for overcoming methodological difficulties in interview-based research.
• Highlights the importance of interviewer's subject mastery and pedagogical content knowledge.
• Discusses the impact of multimedia, interview structure, and memory dynamics on research outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Suggests future research directions and potential pitfalls in studying children's understanding of astronomy.
• Emphasizes the need for robust methodologies to accurately gauge young people's astronomical concepts.
• Recommends integrating cognitive and neurological insights for improved research practices.