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

Abstract

This review traces the history of research on the teaching and learning of nature of scientific knowledge (NOSK), and its implications for curriculum and instruction. Initially, the complex rubric of NOSK is clearly conceptualized, while recognizing that there is no singularly accepted definition. As part of this conceptualization NOSK is distinguished from the body of scientific knowledge and science practices/inquiry, the latter of which is often conflated with NOSK. The empirical research on NOSK related to teaching, learning, and assessment is briefly reviewed, followed by a discussion of the challenges that teachers face and a delineation of research foci that can help alleviate teachers' challenges. Finally, a variety of important questions yet to be answered are delineated and explained.

Effects of Islamic Scientist History on Seventh Graders' Understandings of Nature of Science in a Thai Islamic Private School

“…Many researchers have reported the effectiveness of the explicit reflective approach (e.g., Garcı´a-Carmona & Dı´az, 2016;Williams & Rudge, 2016;Gathong & Chamrat, 2019). However, many influencing factors of such misconceptions were identified, e.g., science content presented in textbooks (Ayik & Costu, 2020), science teachers' understanding of NOS (Buaraphan, 2018;Lederman & Lederman, 2019) as well as social and cultural factors (Alghamdi & Malikan, 2020). Different cultures play roles in shaping a distinct understanding of NOS (Sutherland & Dennick, 2002).…”

Integrating communal content into science lessons: An investigation of the beliefs and attitudes of preservice teachers

“…The integration of communal opportunities in science aligns with broader calls to consider how teachers and students construe the nature of science (Lederman, 1992, 1999; Lederman & Lederman, 2019), and particularly with an emphasis on teaching science as embedded in the sociocultural context. The science‐technology‐society perspective (STS; Autieri et al., 2016) articulates the need to position science within broader societal processes; the socioscientific issues perspective (SSI; Zeidler et al., 2005) further elaborates the need to integrate moral and ethical considerations in instruction.…”

Using Explicit Teaching of Philosophy to Promote Understanding of the Nature of Science

“…In recent decades, there has been broad agreement that teaching about the nature of science (NOS) is a crucial part of school science education (McComas 2006 ; Lederman 2013 ; Clough and Olson 2008 ). Lederman and Lederman ( 2019 ) define NOS as concerned with the characteristics of scientific knowledge, about how science develops, which is fundamentally different from scientific inquiry and scientific knowledge. Although there are divergent definitions of the NOS (Hodson and Wong 2017 ), there is some consensus on the topics and skills K-12 students should be encouraged to develop.…”

“…Although there are divergent definitions of the NOS (Hodson and Wong 2017 ), there is some consensus on the topics and skills K-12 students should be encouraged to develop. These include tentativeness and creativity, an understanding of objectivity and subjectivity, scientific theory and law, the social and cultural embeddedness of science and skills in observation and inference (McComas and Olson 1998 ; Lederman and Lederman 2019 ).…”