In this article, we tackle the phenomenon of what seems to be a misunderstanding between science education theory and philosophy of science--one which does not seem to have received any attention in the literature. While there seems to be a consensus within the realm of science education on limiting or altogether denying the explanatory role of…

For many years, hegemonic approaches to teaching the nature of science (NOS) have focused mainly on understanding some epistemic (i.e., rational, or cognitive) aspects involved in the construction of science. So, aspects of a non-epistemic (i.e., non-rational, contextual, or extra-scientific) nature have been practically neglected in these…

Embracing curricular reforms such as the Next Generation Science Standards poses unique challenges for early childhood science teachers who often value play and curiosity, but are challenged by the depth of scientific disciplinary practices expected by these standards. To explore possibilities for teacher growth, this research draws on Noddings'…

This study aimed to explore what kinds of epistemological messages were conveyed through teacher discourse in modeling-based and traditional elementary science classrooms and how teachers framed the two classrooms distinctively through these messages. Data came from two sixth-grade teachers' science classrooms--one characterized as a…

Background: Inquiry-based instruction is a prominent teaching strategy in science education that is assumed to be an effective means to foster not only students' understanding of science content but also their procedural and epistemic knowledge concerning inquiry processes. Empirical studies have repeatedly shown that inquiry-related activities…

An essential aspect of scientific practice involves grappling with the generation of predictions, representations, interpretations, investigations, and communications related to scientific phenomena, all of which are inherently permeated with uncertainty. Transferring this practice from expert settings to the classroom is invaluable yet…

Research purposes and design: This study aimed to compare the effects of different explicit approaches used in modeling-based instruction on students' understanding of scientific models and modeling (USMM). In Study 1, a self-study approach was compared to a preliminary explicit approach. In Study 2, preliminary explicit approach and embedded…

Idealizations are omnipresent in science. However, to date, science education research has paid surprisingly little attention to the use of idealizations in fostering students' model competence and understanding of the nature of science (NOS). The starting point for the theoretical reflection in this paper is that insufficient consideration of…

The paper reports how a teacher and her students use drawings as a resource for observations and how such observations are connected to different epistemic practices in science lessons. Interactional data in a 1st grade classroom were analyzed based on Ethnography in Education. Results show that the use of drawings materialized children's…

With the release of Framework for K-12 Science Education (National Research Council, 2012) and Next Generation Science Standards (2013) documents, engineering was integrated into science teaching. With that emphasis, teachers require to incorporate engineering practices and nature of engineering into their practice. Most of the attention has been…

Wicked problems have been characterised by their high epistemological and axiological complexities. These are the kinds of problems that may invade our classrooms because many of them concern many stakeholders, including our students. Several approaches have been developed to address wicked problems in various contexts. However, little is known…

The construction of scientific explanations is recognised by science education researchers and curriculum developers as one of the core epistemic practices in which students should acquire proficiency. However, little is known about the knowledge and skills that teachers must and do put into practice to successfully engage their students in…

The philosophy of science (POS) has gained recognition for its contributions to science education, particularly in integrating the history and philosophy of science (HPS). However, the existing literature lacks a comprehensive review that systematically investigates the implications and limitations of POS in science education research. This study…

Worldwide, education jurisdictions are looking for authentic ways to address First Nations perspectives in the K-12 curriculum, including science education. At the same time, there have been ongoing efforts to integrate authentic and engaging approaches to teaching science, including those that are student-centred, inquiry-based, multimodal, and…

In previous work, we described how three teachers differentially create opportunities for students to act as epistemic agents and to engage in collective knowledge-building work (Alzen et al., 2020). The descriptive nature of this previous research provided information about what variability can look like in classrooms attempting these…