An exploration of issues surrounding teaching the nature of science to pre-service primary school teachers

Abstract

This article reports on the outcomes of a study that compared implicit and explicit teaching approaches on the development of contemporary conceptions of the nature of science (NoS). The sample comprised two groups of prospective primary teachers in the Republic of Ireland, all non-specialists in science. Research has shown that contemporary conceptions of NoS can be developed through implicit means—that is, by hands-on participation in scientific activities and by applying the process (scientific) skills in scientific inquiry. International research studies indicate that primary and secondary teachers, in general, do not hold contemporary (elaborate) conceptions of the NoS. This article reports on the outcomes of a comparative study that examined 148 prospective Irish primary teachers’ conceptions of NoS. Seventy-four of these students were taught about aspects of NoS through explicit approaches during a science methodology course. The study compares the effectiveness of implicit and explicit approaches in the development of students’ conceptions of NoS. The participants responded to the question ‘What is science?’ before and after a science methodology course. Interestingly, analyses of the individual responses revealed that the students who had received explicit instruction (test group) in NoS had developed more insightful conceptions of NoS, contradicting research advocating implicit approaches.

Notes

1. Advocates of implicit approaches in developing NoS conceptions assume that learning about NoS automatically occurs as long as the students are engaged in hands-on science. Advocates of explicit approaches, on the other hand, argue that NoS conceptions cannot be ‘caught’ by merely participating in science class, they need to be explicitly addressed.