scholarly journals A Systematic Review of Studies about Conceptions on the Nature of Science in Science Education

2017 ◽  
pp. 621-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathália Helena Azevedo ◽  
Daniela Lopes Scarpa
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Research Trends ◽  
Publication Trends ◽  
Quantitative Review ◽  
Initial Effort

The nature of science (NOS) has been highlighted as an important component of science education, since scientific knowledge can contribute to decision-making by contemporary citizens. There are few quantitative review studies in the field of science education. Given the importance of the topic, and the need to organize and understand the knowledge produced by research on conceptions of NOS, we carried out a systematic review based on the principles of PRISMA, in order to quantify and initiate reflection on (i) the publication trends of articles on NOS conceptions (ii) the main characteristics of these articles, (iii) the NOS aspects frequently cited as important for teaching, and (iv)the main strategies used to access NOS conceptions. We analyzed 396 articles published up to February 2015 in Teaching and Education journals listed on WebQualis 2013. Our systematic review represented an initial effort to present an overview of the area, and enabled us to identify research trends and gaps. Investigational efforts are needed to investigate NOS conceptions in the Brazilian context that are associated with the teaching of specific disciplines. We found twenty-five NOS aspects reported to be important for teaching, addressed part of the debate on consensus and the lists of NOS aspects, and presented general characteristics of the main questionnaires used to investigate NOSconceptions.

scholarly journals Usage of Terms “Science” and “Scientific Knowledge” in Nature of Science (NOS): Do Their Lexicons in Different Accounts Indicate Shared Conceptions?

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 252
Author(s):  
Ismo T. Koponen
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Social Embeddedness ◽  
Focal Points ◽  
Central Theme ◽  
Network Approach ◽  
Basic Vocabulary ◽  
Common Understanding

Nature of science (NOS) has been a central theme in science education and research on it for nearly three decades, but there is still debate on its proper focus and underpinnings. The focal points of these debates revolve around different ways of understanding the terms “science” and “scientific knowledge”. It is suggested here that the lack of agreement is at least partially related to and reflected as a lack of common vocabulary and terminology that would provide a shared basis for finding consensus. Consequently, the present study seeks motivation from the notions of centrality of lexicons in recognizing the identity of disciplinary communities and different schools of thought within NOS. Here, by using a network approach, we investigate how lexicons used by different authors to discuss NOS are confluent or divergent. The lexicons used in these texts are investigated on the basis of a network analysis. The results of the analysis reveal clear differences in the lexicons that are partially related to differences in views, as evident from the debates surrounding the consensus NOS. The most divergent views are related to epistemology, while regarding the practices and social embeddedness of science the lexicons overlap significantly. This suggests that, in consensus NOS, one can find much basis for converging views, with common understanding, where constructive communication may be possible. The basic vocabulary, in the form of a lexicon, can reveal much about the different stances and the differences and similarities between various disciplinary schools. The advantage of such an approach is its neutrality and how it keeps a distance from preferred epistemological positions and views of nature of knowledge.

scholarly journals Epistemological Contributions Derived from an Investigative Method in an Experimental Class in the Study of Hooke's Law

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Osmar Henrique Moura Silva ◽  
Carlos Eduardo Laburú ◽  
Sérgio Camargo ◽  
Airton Acácio Castilho Christófalo
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Hooke’S Law ◽  
Hooke's Law ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Insofar as the students' conceptions of the nature of science are by the educator's conduct about the construction of scientific knowledge and thus can be modeled even subconsciously in the classroom environment, it becomes imperative cautious adoption of methodologies with epistemological visions related explicitly or implicitly. For this reason, this research performs the application of an investigative method, by study Hooke's law experimentally in high school, the analyzed results allow to characterize the benefits of the strategy in epistemological terms. More specifically, after this application, a structured questionnaire served to collect information from the students, evaluating in this context the percentage of the class that, in the majority, was in basic conceptions that diverged from the empiricist-inductive side. This view is philosophically and educationally undesirable and remains in science education, according to the literature in the area, more influenced by the unpreparedness of teachers in the sense treated here. The study hopes to contribute with research line that intercalates contemporary reflections of the philosophy of science in pedagogy in order to favor initial and / or continuing teacher training.

scholarly journals SOME CRUCIAL AREAS IN SCIENCE EDUCATION RESEARCH CORRESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF THE CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-6
Author(s):  
Miia Rannikmäe
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Science Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Factual Knowledge ◽  
Large Set ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Technological Competences ◽  
Reasoning Skill

Innovative societies need people who are equipped with scientific and technological competences e.g. are scientifically literate. Being scientifically literate encompasses a large set of competences, many beyond those which are directly linked with exhibiting acquired scientific knowledge. While PISA studies mainly give a comparison of students’ science knowledge, thinking and process skills, the assessment is not so much about the skills needed in the workplace or functioning in society as a responsible citizen. This suggests there is a need for further comparative studies to cover this deficit. Such kind of research is essential directed to those countries which have shown high results in PISA studies (e.g. Estonia) in order to interpret PISA results more widely in new contexts. This is especially highlighted by recent findings from research carried out among a representative sample of Estonian gymnasium students. The outcomes showed that students’ problem solving, decision-making and reasoning skill do not significantly change during the gymnasium years, even though the amount of science factual knowledge is increasing (Rannikmäe, Reiska & Soobard, 2014, Soobard & Rannikmäe, 2014).

scholarly journals Views of Trainee Science Teachers in Kuwait Regarding the NoS Dimensions and Their Conception of Creativity in Science Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Ahmad Shallal Alshammari ◽  
Hamed Jassim Alsahou ◽  
Joza M Alshemmari
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Science Education Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Trainee Teachers ◽  
Science Educators

Science educators are often advised to pay attention to trainee teachers’ views on issues related to education, particularly the nature of science (NoS). Views on the NoS can be translated into pedagogical practices and then transferred to students; therefore, teachers should hold informed views about the NoS. This study sought to explore the views of trainee science teachers in Kuwait about the NoS and its aspects or dimensions. It also aimed to identify the possible connections among the NoS dimensions and teachers’ views on creativity in science. This multi-method study involved 152 trainee science teachers. The research instruments consisted of a questionnaire about teachers’ views of the nature of science (VNoS), a questionnaire about teachers’ views of creativity in science education, and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that trainee science teachers hold naïve and sometimes perplexing views of the NoS dimensions, and they are more likely to follow a traditional positivist worldview when they discuss the nature of scientific knowledge. Also, the findings revealed trainee teachers’ views of creativity in science education as well as significant correlations among six NoS dimensions and creativity. Detailed findings are discussed to draw conclusions and address possible suggestions for science educators and for the community of science education research.

scholarly journals Nature of Science (NOS) Being Acquainted with Science of Science (SoS): Providing a Panoramic Picture of Sciences to Embody NOS for Pre-Service Teachers

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Ismo T. Koponen
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Science Teacher ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Science Teacher Education ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Service Science ◽  
Science Of Science ◽  
Structure And Dynamics

Understanding about nature of science is important topic in science education as well as in pre-service science teacher education. In science education, Nature of Science (NOS), in its different forms of educational scaffoldings, seeks to provide with students an understanding of features of scientific knowledge and science in general, how scientific knowledge changes and becomes accepted, and what factors guide scientific activities. For a science teacher, deep and broad enough picture of sciences is therefore of importance. This study attempts to show that the research field called Science of Science (SoS) can significantly support building such a panoramic picture of sciences, and through that, significantly support NOS. The SoS approaches the structure and dynamics of science quantitatively, using scientific documents (e.g., publications, reports, books and monographs and patent applications) as trails to map the landscape of sciences. It is argued here that SoS may provide material and interesting cases for NOS, and in so doing enrich NOS in a similarly significant way as history, philosophy and sociology of science (HPSS) scholarship has done thus far. This study introduces several themes based on SoS that are of relevance for NOS as they were introduced and discussed in a pre-service science teachers’ course. The feedback from pre-service teachers shows that introducing SoS, with minimal additional philosophical interpretations and discussions, but simply as evidential facts and findings, sparks ideas and views that come very close to NOS themes and topics. Discussions related to nature of science, and specific educational NOS scaffoldings for it, can find a good companion in SoS; the latter providing facts and evidence of thee structure and dynamics of sciences, the former providing perspectives for interpretations.

Beliefs of preschool teacher candidates about the nature of science

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 774-783
Author(s):  
Güzin Özyılmaz ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Preschool Education ◽  
Preschool Teacher ◽  
Spring Semester ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Aim Of Science ◽  
Academic Year

The aim of science education is to enable children to become “science-literate.” Science literacy is defined as taking responsibility for and making decisions about situations requiring scientific understanding and having sufficient knowledge, skills, attitudes and understanding of values to put their decisions into practice. Revealing teachers’ beliefs can help to understand the types of experiences presented by teachers in their classrooms. Inadequate understandings and misbeliefs of teachers shape the first perceptions of children about the NOS when they are formally introduced with science education in their early childhood. Most of the studies were also performed with science teachers and there have been few studies conducted with preschool teachers. Therefore, the present study was directed towards determining NOS beliefs of preschool teacher candidates. To achieve this aim, Nature of Science Beliefs Scale (NOSBS), developed by Özcan and Turgut (2014), was administered to the preschool teacher candidates studying in Preschool Education Department of Buca Education Faculty at Dokuz Eylül University in the spring semester of the 2018-2019 academic year. In the study, the NOS beliefs of the teacher candidates were found to be acceptable in general. While the findings of this study are consistent with those revealed in several relevant studies in the literature

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