Development of an Interactive Astronomy Workbook for General Education Schools

The study addresses the quality of knowledge acquired by students in school astronomy courses, as well as the formation of a comprehensive understanding of this science. This issue arises due to the limited number of instructional hours allocated to the ‘‘Astronomy’’ section, necessitating a more intensive learning process. As a potential solution, the use of an interactive workbook is proposed, which may contribute not only to improving knowledge levels but also to the development of students’ cognitive and personal competencies 1. The workbook we have developed includes exercises on topics that support the preservation of a coherent scientific worldview in the field of astronomy: ‘‘Coordinates,’’ ‘‘Time,’’ ‘‘Apparent Motion of Celestial Bodies,’’ ‘‘Instruments and Observations,’’ ‘‘Astronautics,’’ ‘‘Physics of the Solar System,’’ ‘‘The World of Stars and Galaxies,’’ among others. The tasks in the workbook are highly visualized, which enhances material comprehension. The workbook includes an instant feedback system that determines whether the correct answer has been selected by means of visual cues such as color changes, image shaking, or enlarging the text of the chosen answer 2. Thus, problem-solving serves as a powerful tool for developing cognitive abilities and shaping valuable personal qualities. Selected sections of astronomy can be studied in an accelerated format without compromising the quality of learning by using the interactive workbook described in this study.