DEVELOPING THE ABILITY TO DESIGN ASTRONOMY TEACHING ACTIVITIES USING STEM PLUS ASTRO ACTIVITIES FOR PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS

Abstract

The objective of this research was to develop the ability to design astronomy teaching activities using the STEM Plus Astro activities for pre-service teachers. The participants in this study were 30 undergraduate pre-service teachers. The research was conducted in the first semester of the academic year 2023. The research instruments included five STEM Plus Astro activity plans for pre-service teachers, totaling 15 hours, and an evaluation form for assessing the ability to design astronomy teaching activities. The statistics used in the research were mean and standard deviation.

The research results revealed that after completing the training activities, 12 pre-service teachers (40%) demonstrated an “excellent” level of competence in designing of Astronomy teaching activities. This reflects a deep understanding of STEM concepts and the ability to design high-quality, complete learning activities in accordance with the specified components. Another 18 pre-service teachers (60%) were at a “good” level, indicating a solid foundational skill set in activity design that can be further developed toward greater expertise. The findings clearly show that training using the STEM Plus Astro activities is effective and can significantly enhance the ability of pre-service teachers to design astronomy teaching activities. Furthermore, these activities can be appropriately applied to real educational settings.