The ‘nature of science’ as a curriculum component

Abstract

Although articulated in different terms at different times, some understanding of ‘the nature of science’ and, more particularly, of ‘scientific method’ has been a central and enduring feature of the rhetoric of school science education. However, it is now clear that many of the assumptions about the nature of scientific activity which have traditionally underpinned school science teaching are no longer tenable. This paper outlines the rhetorical and political importance of method as a unifying element of the sciences, reviews some of the themes evident in recent scholarly debates about the nature of scientific activity, and considers some of the difficulties which arise from the incorporation of the ‘nature of science’ within school science curricula. It is suggested that among these difficulties are fundamental issues relating to objectivity and rationality and to the claims made about the status of science and its role in everyday discourse and action.

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Notes on contributors

Edgar W. Jenkins

Edgar W. Jenkins is Professor of Science Education Policy and Chair of the School of Education at the University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. He is author of a number of books and papers concerned with the social history and politics of school science curricula.