A recent survey suggests as many as 42 percent of Japanese schoolchildren believe the sun revolves around the Earth. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan questioned 348 children in grades 4 to 6 in four prefectures on astronomy and science. The children were asked to choose one of two options to correctly describe the Earth’s relationship to the sun, and 56 percent correctly answered the Earth revolvea around the sun, the Mainichi Daily News reported Tuesday. The survey also asked 720 children from six prefectures why the shape of the moon appeared to change – but only 47 percent correctly chose the answer, “Because looking from the Earth, the positional relationship between the moon and the sun changes.” “Forty percent to 50 percent of children have an image of space with the Earth at the center,” said Hidehiko Agata of the observatory. “The current content of learning for elementary school students is extremely insufficient.” © Copyright 2004 by United Press International

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