Literature suggests the transfer of understanding the nature of science to instructional practice requires preservice teachers to value teaching about the nature of science. Despite decades of research developing preservice teachers' views of nature of science, there is still a disconnect between their understanding and instructional practice.…

It is generally accepted that a robust science education includes knowledge of science, as well as knowledge "about" science, or, in other words, an understanding of the "Nature of Science." However, debates around what Nature of Science is and how to measure it are far from settled, and this compromises our ability to support…

Understanding Nature of Science (NOS) is a requisite for improving scientific literacy, and as such, it is increasingly being included in science curricula worldwide. It is now therefore important that teachers understand NOS so that intended learning outcomes become visible in the classroom. Pre-service teachers also need an opportunity to…

Enhancing students' understanding of aspects of the nature of science (NOS) recommended by the science education community is an important goal of science instruction. This can occur only when teachers are adequately prepared for teaching NOS. However, the science education community is still considering what is needed to enhance the efficiency of…

The study investigated how explicit instruction of argumentation-in the context of socioscientific issues (SSI)- and explicit instruction of NOS, compared with explicit instruction of argumentation only, can develop grade 10 students' argumentation skills and NOS conceptions. Participants were 36 grade 10 students enrolled in two sections that…

This paper reports findings from a small study with Fijian pre-service teachers about their perceptions of science and scientists. No known study of this nature has been conducted in Fiji nor in other Pacific Island Countries. The study drew on previous studies using Draw-A-Scientist Test as well as critiques of the instrument using qualitative…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize engaging students in science practices through which students can develop content, procedural, and epistemic knowledge of science. To accomplish this goal, science teachers must embed science content in authentic science practice. Successfully integrating content and practice will require…

This paper provides a detailed analysis of the inclusion of aspects of nature of science (NOS) in the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS). In this new standards document, NOS elements in eight categories are discussed in Appendix H along with illustrative statements (called exemplars). Many, but not all, of these exemplars are…

This article arises from a teaching experience at a state secondary school in London/UK that aimed at promoting a more culturally diverse teaching about Nature of Science (NOS) grounded on Global History of Science. Ideas from this field were employed to design four different teaching and learning plans (TLPs) that linked NOS and content from the…

The purpose of this study was to determine how elementary teachers used scientific language during a whole-class discussion to describe 3 biological phenomena (interactions, dependent relationships, and interdependent relationships) with and without educative curricula. Findings revealed that the ways in which the 6 teachers enacted the discussion…

The present study conceptualized, implemented, and evaluated a specific program, the Live Science program. This program integrated 2 distinct but complementary approaches: participants' immersion in real science contexts and the participation of future teachers in seminars intended to share the immersion experience and to reflect on nature of…

Science and religion are two indisputably profound and durable cultural forces with a complex history of interaction. As ASTE members are aware, these interactions often manifest themselves in classrooms and in the surrounding communities. In this essay, we encourage science teacher educators to broaden their perspectives of science-religion…

An increasing focus on academic language across content areas, including science, prompted this study of the ways in which preservice teachers integrate academic language in middle grades science. Academic language is part of the discourse that students need for success in school, and it includes both what words are used and how those words are…

This study provides an example of a systematic professional development project designed to build capacity for the teaching of nature of science and scientific inquiry, while not sacrificing the learning of more traditional science subject matter. Specifically, this project examined the impact of a 5-year professional development project on K-12…

This editorial examines significant deleterious issues that have emerged unchecked, and seemingly embraced unwittingly, by the greater science education community, the public at-large, and even segments of the international science education community. Their claims are grounded in three main cases that are distinct, yet intertwined with one…