identifying perception of elementary students related to earth, sun and moon

The study reports data on preconception of elementary students from India related to Earth, Sun and Moon. The students’ preconceptions were identified utilizing informal interview with 32 students. The three aspects related to shape, motion and location of sun, earth and moon were investigated during interview. The findings revealed that how difficult it would be the transition for students to reach at the scientific level of understanding with identified preconceptions acting as constraint. This study has implications for teacher training in future, in instruction and design of curriculum in astronomy education to fill the existing gap