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Influence of Culture on Understanding Astronomical Concepts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

Mazlan Othman
Mazlan Othman*
Affiliation:
Physics Department, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM, Bangi, Selangor D.E., Malaysia

Extract

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Culture is defined as a society’s system of values, ideology and social codes of behavior; its productive technologies and modes of consumption; its religious dogmas, myths, and taboos; and its social structure, political system and decision-making process (Coombes, 1985). The cultural environment in which an individual is raised is thus fundamental to the life view with which he perceives his world. Since his world view encompasses ideas of space and time, it is therefore not surprising that his understanding of astronomical concepts is inextricably bound to his cultural envelope.

This paper sets out to examine some of the ways cultural complexities affect the understanding of astronomical concepts and thus to make the case for a more realistic approach to the teaching of astronomy in a multicultural society, recognizing the importance of culture and the way students learn (Burger, 1973; Teynolds and Skilbeck, 1976).

Type
8. Conceptions/Misconceptions
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 105: The Teaching of Astronomy , 1990 , pp. 239 - 242
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

References

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