Teaching-Learning Moments during Night Sky Observations

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22600/1518-8795.ienci/2025v30n1p168

Keywords:

Sky observation, teaching-learning moments, STEM, Ethnomethodology, Conversation Analysis

Abstract

This article explores teaching-learning moments (TLMs) produced by participants in an astronomy outreach activity carried out in an outdoor space. We use the radical praxeological perspective of Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis (EMCA), which are radically praxiological approaches and adopt a natural attitude towards data (i.e., analyze naturally occurring interactions, regardless of whether they were submitted to the empirical look). Based on this perspective, we closely analyze four excerpts of interactions recorded during an observation event of Jupiter and Saturn in order to explore how guides/astronomers assist visitors to make sense of the abstract astronomical knowledge through practical observations of celestial bodies. This study focuses on how TLMs in non-formal environments adapt to the local contingencies and how their production is associated with the here-and-now of the interaction, which challenges the a priori description of this production for the purposes of didactic standardization.

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Published

2025-05-01

How to Cite

Lee, S. Y., Abi-Sâmara, R., Marques, J. B. V., & Moutinho, R. (2025). Teaching-Learning Moments during Night Sky Observations. Investigations in Science Education, 30(1), 168-200. https://doi.org/10.22600/1518-8795.ienci/2025v30n1p168