THE DIFFERENT CONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE MOON PHASES OF 8TH GRADERS FROM A PUBLIC SCHOOL

Abstract

This article aims to investigate and analyze conceptions about the phases of the Moon. To this purpose, a group of 39 elementary school II students (8th years) of a public school in western Paraná state were investigated. The approach was qualitative, focused on content analysis, and consisted of the following steps: a) a literature review and mapping about alternative conceptions; b) preparation and application of a questionnaire on the phases of the Moon; and c) analysis of students' conceptions. The results indicate that most students do not understand the movements of translation and rotation of the Earth and Moon, and only 10,3% were able to identify and name the phases of the Moon in the context of the representation by drawing of the phenomenon in the Sun-Earth-Moon system. In addition, the conceptions appeared that the Moon is always opposite to the Sun and that its phases are caused by the projection of the Earth’s shadow. In this sense, it is understood that a review of the teaching strategies of such contents is necessary in order to transform the reality of the classroom and enable students to learn.