Reports on the third of a line of investigations that examine pre-service teachers' conceptions of nature of science (NOS) and the translation of those conceptions into classroom practice. Delineates the effectiveness of an intervention designed to facilitate pre-service teachers' inclusion of NOS in their classroom teaching. (Author/MM)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between students' conceptions of the nature of science and their reactions to evidence that challenged their beliefs about socio-scientific issues. This study used 248 students from 9th and 10th grade general science classes, 11th and 12th grade honors biology, honors science, and…

A greater role for the history and philosophy of science in science education can only be realized if it is based on both a credible analytical approach--such as that of Lakatos--and if the evolution of a sufficient number of major themes in science is known in suitable detail. Considers chemical kinetics as an example topic. Contains 62…

The purpose of this study was to investigate aspects of the Nature of Science (NOS) concepts and teaching practices acquired by inservice teachers who participated in a teacher education program at the National Changhua University of Education in Taiwan. Two instructors used both case-history and demonstration approaches to help science teachers…

Describes teaching considerations related to the nature of science and scientific knowledge in an elementary-science methods course. Discusses instructional strategies used to develop preservice elementary teachers' understandings of the nature of science and scientific knowledge. Presents the results of these strategies on teacher learning and…

Explores factors related to preservice teachers' capacity to understand the learning cycle. Finds that understanding of the learning cycle was related to science teaching outcome expectancy, not to personal science teaching efficacy or to attitudes toward science. (Contains 32 references.) (Author/WRM)

Teachers' views of the nature of science largely determine the way that they present science to their students. This study investigated the emerging philosophies of science and teaching in eight preservice science teacher interns. The study was conducted with a standardized open-ended interview format. Most interns viewed science as an exciting,…

Discusses three prospective elementary teachers' conceptions of teaching science and selected portions of their knowledge base in life science. Explores how these teachers' conceptions, along with their teaching actions, developed during the course of a teacher-education program. Contains 21 references. (Author/WRM)

Discusses three prospective secondary biology teachers' conceptions of teaching science and selected portions of their knowledge base in biology. Explores how these teachers' conceptions, along with their teaching actions, developed during the course of a teacher-education program. Contains 31 references. (Author/WRM)

This paper describes a course in which preservice elementary teachers read and discussed "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" by Carl Sagan. Students discussed their beliefs about the nature of science, teaching, and learning. The paper concludes that preservice teachers appeared to develop reflective and critical…

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the knowledge base of prospective science teachers. An important part of their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) consists of concerns about teaching. Most of the research on these concerns is focused on rather general teaching issues, and little is known about their concerns dealing with…

Describes a physics course designed to engage preservice elementary teachers in the practices and discourses of science through activities that would later be used with children. Presents an account of preservice teachers' progress in inventing and testing models, working with empirical data, critically evaluating and using authoritative sources,…

This proceedings covers the domain and content areas of learning and learners; curriculum and materials; instruction (including computer-assisted instruction); assessment and evaluation; history and philosophy of science; teacher preparation and professional development; and related areas of interest including environmental, special, health,…

The traditional differences in philosophy and approaches to teaching and learning between colleges of education and sciences have been repeatedly cited as one of the major obstacles in providing appropriate teacher training programs. In an effort to alleviate this problem, Wright State University (Ohio) has fostered a unique environment through a…

The interpretation of data and construction and interpretation of graphs are central practices in science which, according to recent reform documents, science and mathematics teachers are expected to foster in their classrooms. However, are (preservice) science teachers prepared to teach inquiry with the purpose of transforming and analyzing data,…