This study aimed to determine preservice science teachers' (PST) attitudes towards the Reconceptualized Family Resemblance Approach to the Nature of Science and to examine PST attitudes towards this approach according to grade levels. The study group consists of 75 people studying in the 3rd and 4th year of undergraduate education. The sample of…

Nature of Science (NOS) has been enumerated as one of the important elements in education because robust conceptions of NOS is essential for individuals to be considered as scientific literate. As teachers are vital in imparting sound NOS conceptions to their students, they must possess sound NOS conceptions. However, studies have shown that…

Today, learning environments are constantly getting developed and updated to make the teaching-learning process more active. Besides, tools that enhance learning in educational environments are also getting diversified. One of these educational tools is the movies that are based on real life stories. In addition to informing students about several…

Advancing inquiry-based science education is crucial for fostering sustainable development among science teachers. Integrating digital technology into teacher preparation programs is essential due to its widespread use in inquiry-based methodologies. Understanding the Nature of Scientific Inquiry (NOSI) is fundamental for pre-service science…

This study investigates the perceptions of a sample of Arab science teachers pertaining to the cultural factors affecting pupils learning processes in three Arab countries. A randomly sampled group of 169 science teachers from the three countries comprised the participants, Egypt (N=37), Yemen (N=53), and Saudi Arabia (N=79). A questionnaire…

This paper addresses two methodological issues related to the assessment of teachers' views of science. The first concerns the distinction between the "nature of science" (NOS) and the nature of "scientific inquiry" (SI): should the points related to NOS and those related to SI be analyzed independently? The second concerns the…

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the common knowledge construction model (CKCM)-based instruction on academic achievement and 7th grade students' views about the nature of science (NOS) presented in electrical energy unit at schools of different socio-economic levels. In accordance with this purpose, three secondary…

While helping students develop informed views about nature of scientific inquiry (VNOSI) has been emphasised in science education, little is known regarding students' current VNOSI at a certain grade level and whether there was evidence of higher attainment of VNOSI in students in higher grades as compared to lower grades? The purpose of this…

This article considers the relationship between belief and learning science. It is argued that belief in science (as a process) needs to be distinguished from belief in particular scientific ideas and knowledge claims. Scientific knowledge is theoretical and provisional--something to be adopted for its utility, not as articles of faith. The…

This article presents a study aiming at assessing the efficacy of reading newspaper articles with scientific content in order to incorporate nature of science (NOS) aspects in initial primary teacher education. To this aim, a short teaching intervention based on newspaper articles was planned and performed under regular class conditions. First,…

Richard Feynman, the celebrated physicist, is frequently attributed as saying that "philosophy of science is about as useful to scientists as ornithology is to birds. " Professor Feynman taught at the California Institute of Technology for many years, but perhaps this experience did not afford him the best view of the general level…

This paper highlights the use of a drama convention--"Role on the Wall"--to teach the Nature of Science (NOS) in a Year 7/8 classroom. Students were positioned as "expert" scientists re-investigating the science behind the sinking of the Wahine in a Mantle of the Expert unit. Students drew a "Role on the Wall" of a…

This study considers how students change their coherent conceptual understanding of natural selection through a hands-on simulation. The results show that most students change their understanding. In addition, some students also underwent a transformative experience and used their new knowledge in a leisure time activity. These transformative…

Background: Understanding the nature of science (NOS) has been a key objective in teaching sciences for many years. Despite the importance of this goal it is, until this day, a complex challenge that we are far from achieving. Purpose: The study was conducted in order to further the understanding of the NOS amongst preservice teachers. It explores…

The study reports on an investigation about the impact of science-technology-society (STS) instruction on middle school student understanding of the nature of science (NOS) and attitudes toward science compared to students taught by the same teacher using traditional textbook-oriented instruction. Eight lead teachers used STS instruction an…