Reconceptualised family resemblance approach to nature of science in pre-service science teacher education

Abstract

Nature of Science (NOS) has garnered a significant amount research in science education. A recent framework on NOS is the so-called "Family Resemblance Approach" (FRA) which presents NOS as a cognitive-epistemic and social-institutional system with a set of categories: aims and values, scientific methods, scientific practices, scientific knowledge and socialinstitutional aspects of science. Although FRA has been problematised philosophically and its implications for science education have been considered by science educators, its empirical adaptations in science education are limited. We present a study based on a funded preservice science teacher education project whose aim was to design, implement and evaluate the impact of a series of sessions using FRA-informed NOS strategies. In order to differentiate the educational adaptations of FRA, we refer to Reconceptualised Family Resemblance Approach to Nature of Science or RFN. A total of 15 female participants from a four-year undergraduate teacher education programme attended in a series of 14-week sessions. A 70-item questionnaire entitled "RFN Questionnaire" was designed to investigate the outcomes of the teacher education intervention relative to the learning goals set for each session that focused on a particular RFN category. Individual interviews with PSTs were also conducted. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis of RFN categories results suggest that the teacher education intervention had an overall significant impact on pre-service teachers' views of NOS. The paper contributes to understanding of how NOS can be incorporated in science teacher education using a new orientation to NOS based on FRA.

Teaching and learning nature of scientific knowledge: Is it Déjà vu all over again?

“…That is, NOSK refers to the characteristics of scientific knowledge that are derived from how the knowledge is developed (i.e., scientific inquiry). Current debates stemming from a family resemblance conceptualization of nature of science (Erduran & Dagher, 2014;Kaya, Erduran, Aksoz, & Akgun, 2019) are derived from the question, "what is science? ", which is essentially a question that attempts to demarcate science from other ways of knowing.…”

“…There is a rather extensive body of literature (e.g., Abd-El-Khalick, 2012;Lederman, 2007;Lederman & Lederman, 2014;Smith, Lederman, Bell, McComas, & Clough, 1997) addressing the fact that the consensus list of the characteristics of science is by no means perfect and would not be accepted in toto by most philosophers but is widely adopted by science educators as appropriate for introductory science instruction. Clearly, there are different conceptions of NOSK (Kaya et al, 2019), but what is important here is a focus on what students should know and how is it effectively taught (Kampourakis, 2016).…”

Collaborative Learning Practices by Gender: A Case of a Community School in Nepal

“…Prioritizing the importance of collaborative learning, literature reveal that practices of developing basic science and health concepts by involving students in hands-on activities promote desired achievement (Acharya, 2017a(Acharya, , 2019b. However, only involving students in activities may not understand science concepts (Kaya, Erduran, Aksoz, & Akgun, 2019;Koirala & Acharya, 2005;Mahat, 2004;Ogawa, 1995). The major concern of this study is that the understanding and the achievement of science is not good as the science teachers in the schools of Nepal believe on the banking concept and rote memorization (Acharya, 2019c;Reis, Isotani, Rodriguez, Lyra, Jaques, & Bittencourt, 2018).…”

“…Science learning primarily based on learning experiences (Kaya, Erduran, Aksoz, & Akgun, 2019;Tofel-Grehl, Searle, & Feldon, 2018). Comprehensive understanding of collaborative learning can be supported by the cooperative teachers' activities (Erdogan, 2019).…”

Teaching Nature of Scientific Knowledge to Kindergarten Through University Students

“…However, at the same time, it is widely adopted by science educators as appropriate for the sort of K-U science instruction we address in this essay. For sure, there are different conceptions of scientific literacy and NOSK (Kaya et al 2019), but what is important here is the focus on what student knowledge of science is likely to be useful/valuable to members of the public and what understandings of NOSK are likely to be appropriate to the capabilities of the majority of our students (Kampourakis 2016). In our view, the consensus view of NOS meets both these criteria, and there is a stronger body of empirical evidence for that claim than there is for a NOSs approach.…”