Researcher presents astronomy education study at International Astronautical Congress

Kaan Değirmenci, a graduate student at Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University, presented his research on astronomy education at the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2026) held in Antalya, Turkey. The event, organized by the International Astronautical Federation, was hosted by Turkey for the first time and featured participants from 108 countries, including representatives from NASA and the European Space Agency.

Değirmenci's research, supported by TÜBİTAK 4001-A funding, examined the role of out-of-school learning environments in astronomy education and analyzed the success and attitudes of students. His study, which included data from 46 sixth-grade students, found that female students achieved statistically significant higher astronomy success scores than male students. Additionally, students who frequently or occasionally follow Turkey's national space activities showed significantly higher attitude scores toward astronomy compared to those who do not follow such activities.