Science Teachers’ Thinking About the Nature of Science: A New Methodological Approach to Its Assessment

Spanish students' beliefs on themes of Science-Technology-Society (STS) and nature of science (NOS) are assessed. The sample consisted of 1050 science and non-science students who had concluded their pre-university education (18-19 years old). Each participant anonymously answered 30 items drawn from the Questionnaire of Opinions on Science, Technology and Society, which were presented within two different booklets to cover the main STS-NOS issues. The students' direct responses were scaled by means of a multiple response model and a metric into a set of quantitative indices that represent the adequateness of the student's answer to current scholar knowledge on STS-NOS. The indices form the baseline variables on items, categories, and sentences for the quantitative and qualitative analyses of students' beliefs. The overall mean results display neutral positions, although a detailed scrutiny of the mean indices across items, categories, and sentences allows to pinpoint further rich details, such as the students' highest positive and lowest negative beliefs to be identified. The versatility of the method makes also possible to implement hypothesis testing, which in the present case do not find significant differences between science and non-science students. Some implications for research on the issues concerning the STS-NOS issues and its teaching and learning are discussed.

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“…A series of previous studies verified the validity of COCTS (Vázquez et al, 2006;Vázquez et al, 2013).…”

Section: Research Instrumentmentioning

confidence: 78%

Spanish students’ conceptions about NOS and STS issues: A diagnostic study

Alonso

García–Carmona

Más

et al. 2014

EURASIA J MATH SCI T

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“…Likewise, very little attention has been paid to NOS in Spanish scientific publications about science education during the last decade (García-Carmona, 2021c). In general, the teaching of NOS in Spain is an issue that still needs to be promoted and improved within the country's science curricula and science teacher training programs (Acevedo-Díaz et al, 2017;Perales et al, 2014;Vázquez-Alonso et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The other notable reason corresponds to the various obstacles and difficulties science teachers face when teaching NOS (Acevedo-Díaz, 2008;Aslan & Taşar, 2013;Capps & Crawford, 2013;Clough et al, 2020;Garcia-Carmona et al, 2011;Piliouras et al, 2018). Undoubtedly, the lack of an informed comprehension of NOS favours neither science teachers deciding to include NOS content in their science teaching programs nor their knowing how to teach it appropriately (Vázquez-Alonso et al, 2013;Sarieddine & Bou-Jaoude, 2014). Even if a science teacher does possess an informed understanding of NOS, this is no guarantee that they will choose to introduce it into their classes or that they will know how to do so properly (Akerson & Abd-El-Khalick, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spanish Science Teacher Educators’ Preparation, Experiences, and Views About Nature of Science in Science Education

García–Carmona

2021

Sci & Educ

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The obstacles and difficulties that science teachers face when teaching the nature of science (NOS) are well-known. Nonetheless, little is known of what science teacher educators (STEs) know, do, and think about this issue. Thus, a study with 142 Spanish STEs was conducted. This was aimed at analysing (i) what preparation the STEs have to teach NOS, (ii) what educational experience they have about NOS, (iii) what importance they give to NOS in their training plans, (iv) when NOS should be taught, (v) how to integrate NOS in science education, (vi) how to teach NOS, (vii) what to teach about NOS, and (viii) the influences interconnecting the STEs’ preparation, experience, and opinions regarding NOS teaching. Among the results, it was found that most STEs state that they have ample knowledge of NOS, are well prepared pedagogically to teach it, and have extensive experience in teaching it. However, there was some mismatch between their stated preparation and their experience teaching NOS. In addition, they think that NOS should be taught from early ages and be treated as cross-cutting content in science education. They also consider that, when teaching NOS, an implicit approach is just as effective as an explicit-reflective one. As for their selection of NOS content to include, they are fundamentally divided into two groups — those who select only epistemic aspects of NOS and those who select a balanced proportion of both epistemic and non-epistemic aspects. The limitations of the study are reported along with the issues that require further research.

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“…Contribution to scientific literacy has been an objective of education reforms in many countries (Cofré et al, 2014;Deboer, 2000;McComas & Olson, 1998;Ministry of Education [MOE], 2007;National Research Council [NRC], 1996;Sarkar & Gomes, 2010;Wang & Zhao, 2016). Understanding of NOS is considered a structural facet of scientific literacy (Akerson et al, 2010;Izquierdo-Aymerich et al, 2016;Ozgelen et al, 2013;Sarkar & Gomes, 2010); moreover, it has become one of the main objective of science education in the schools (Akerson et al, 2010; American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1993;Ayala-Villamil, 2019;Celik & Bayrakceken, 2012;Mesci & Schwartz, 2016;Sarkar & Gomes, 2010;Vázquez-Alonso et al, 2013;Wang & Zhao, 2016) and is supported on utilitarian, democratic, cultural, axiological and educative reasons (Adúriz-Bravo & Ariza, 2013;Driver et al, 1996;Izquierdo-Aymerich et al, 2016;McComas et al, 1998;Sarkar & Gomes, 2010;Vázquez-Alonso et al, 2013). Consequently, it is necessary to consider the central role of teachers in the improvement of student learning (Lederman, 2007;Matthews, 1990;Mesci & Schwartz, 2016;Rennie et al, 2001;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

VNOS: A Historical Review of an Instrument on the Nature of Science

Ayala-Villamil

García-Martínez

2020

INTERDISCIPLINARY J ENV SCI ED

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This paper studies four key aspects of the instrument "Views of Nature of Science" (VNOS); a) its general characteristics, b) the particular characteristics of the forms VNOS-A, VNOS-B, VNOS-C, VNOS-D; VNOS-D+ and VNOS-E, c) the modifications of its open-ended questions, and finally, d) the scope and limitations of the VNOS forms from the new conceptualizations of the Nature of Science (NOS) construct. The methodology is based on documentary research. The criteria of validity and reliability of Scott (1990) are followed. The open-ended questions of VNOS are analysed from four identified inductive categories: extension, reduction, substitution and fragmentation. The main contributions of the article are: 1. Delve into the characterization of VNOS, and its forms, allowing future NOS researchers to interpret the data obtained from the VNOS forms. Thus, each VNOS form identifies open-ended questions focused on various aspects of NOS (direct questions) and open questions focused on a specific context. The VNOS-C form presents more open-ended questions in a specific context and may be of greater interest for research in some populations. Explicit and implicit questions are also identified. The VNOS-D + form has more open-ended questions. Researchers are probably able to find units of analysis to characterize NOS views more easily in the VNOS-D+ form. 2. Relate the open-ended questions and NOS aspects characterize in each VNOS form.3. Group open-ended questions by characterized NOS aspects, which is of interest for research focused on a particular NOS aspect. 4. Finally, the possibility of characterizing views on "scientific methods" is highlighted, especially when VNOS is used in conjunction with monitoring interviews, as well as with the "Views About Scientific Inquiry" (VASI) instrument. Similarly, it relates to the potential of VNOS forms to characterize some aspects coming from other NOS conceptualizations, especially from "features of science" (FOS) raised by Mathews (2012). All of the above, contributes conceptually and methodologically, to the identification of NOS views of primary and secondary students and their teachers. This is necessary to carry out diagnoses of NOS views in different communities, to propose evaluations of the impact of different teaching strategies and to relate NOS with other constructs, which together allow for the development of skills for informed socioscientific decision-making in the population in general.

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Science Teachers’ Thinking About the Nature of Science: A New Methodological Approach to Its Assessment

Cited by 23 publications

References 55 publications

Spanish students’ conceptions about NOS and STS issues: A diagnostic study

Spanish students’ conceptions about NOS and STS issues: A diagnostic study

Spanish Science Teacher Educators’ Preparation, Experiences, and Views About Nature of Science in Science Education

VNOS: A Historical Review of an Instrument on the Nature of Science

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