SCIENTIFIC LITERACY IN ASTRONOMY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL: THE STUDY OF THE VARIABLE STAR ETA AQUILAE

Abstract

This article presents a section of a broader research project investigating the effects of high school students' participation in citizen science projects, focusing on the study of variable stars, as a path to scientific literacy. Given the scarcity of astronomy content in schools, the deficient training of teachers, and the growing misinformation and devaluation of science, the research reported here promotes direct contact with the scientific method through astronomical observation. The activity involved stages of systematic observations of the variable star eta Aquilae, collection of visual and photographic data, analysis of light curves, and magnitude estimates using specialized software. The results point to an effective process of scientific literacy, since the study of stars during high school addresses conceptual content from Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, as well as attitudinal and procedural content, because the activity started from the observation and collection of data from real stars – not from simulations or didactic laboratories. This process of scientific methodology is essential for students in basic education to understand how scientific knowledge develops and contributes to the appreciation of science.