On the effectiveness of an interleaved curriculum in increasing exposure of secondary school pupils to astronomy and astrophysics

Despite the publics continued fascinationwith astronomy and space, the numbers of students who spend atleast 50% of their higher education time studying astronomy basedtopics has fallen since 2010, and the overall number of first-yearstudents studying over 50% astronomy topics is under 1000.Astronomy is a unique vehicle in engaging students in science,covering the very small and the very large scale questions in equalmeasure. The lack of astronomy within the current physicscurriculum, and the relatively low number of centres offeringGCSE Astronomy as an option means that many students will onlystudy one topic of astronomy through their entire secondaryeducation. Interleaving is a method of teaching whereby coretopics are taught several times through the thread of separatecontexts. This paper proposes the introduction of astronomy intothe physics GCSE curriculum as a vehicle to deliver varying topicsfrom radiation to waves. This would increase students’ exposureto astronomy through their secondary education, and allow morestudents to experience astronomy in much more depth.