Relationship of basic academic information with astronomy concepts within the scope of basic physics education

This research aims to determine science teacher candidates' understanding levels and misconceptions of these concepts by associating the basic concepts they learned within the scope of basic physics education with astronomy. The sample of the research, which was designed as a case study, was composed of 162 students studying in the science teaching undergraduate program, selected by purposive sampling method. A semi-structured form consisting of 12 open-ended questions was used to collect data in the study. The data obtained in the research were discussed both quantitatively and qualitatively. In the quantitative part, the students' level of understanding of the basic laws of physics was examined, and in the qualitative part, misconceptions regarding astronomy concepts were determined. As a result of the analysis of the findings obtained in the research, it was shown that the students' level of understanding of these concepts was quite low and they had many misconceptions about astronomy when they started their undergraduate education. In the following grade levels, it was observed that the level of understanding of concepts first increased and then decreased again. Research findings also showed that prospective teachers had similar misconceptions regardless of grade level. Keywords: Physics, laws of physics, astronomy, level of understanding, misconceptions, prospective science teachers