Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Enhancing student‐teachers’ understanding of nature of science and scientific inquiry through a case study of the scientific research in severe acute respiratory syndrome

Abstract

Interviews with key scientists involved in research on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), together with analysis of media reports and documentaries produced during and after the SARS epidemic, revealed many interesting aspects of nature of science (NOS) and authentic scientific inquiry. This novel insight into practice in the rapidly growing field of molecular biology was used in the development of instructional materials for use in the pre‐service and in‐service teacher education programme at The University of Hong Kong. The elements of NOS and scientific inquiry identified in the scientific research on SARS were explicitly emphasized in our instructional materials. The contemporary real‐life context of SARS was found to be effective in promoting student‐teachers’ understanding of NOS and scientific inquiry, particularly in terms of: the realization of inseparable links between science and the social, cultural, and political environment; deeper understanding of how science and technology impact on each other; and a richer appreciation of the processes of authentic scientific inquiry and the humanistic character of scientists. The effectiveness is attributed to immediacy, relevance, and familiarity, making the abstract tangible, personal experience of science history, and the powerful affective impact of the interviews with scientists.

Acknowledgements

The research reported in this paper was supported by a Competitive Earmarked Research Grants by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (HKU 7483/04H). The authors are grateful to the scientists and student‐teachers who kindly agreed to take part in the study.

Notes

1. An updated set of instructional materials can be accessed through the website http://learningscience.edu.hku.hk as training material under ‘Teaching resources’.

2. On average, the 16 in‐service teachers had about 2 years classroom experience, with no formal teacher education prior to enrolment in a part‐time Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme, which has many elements in common with the full‐time course—including the NOS‐oriented sessions. Thus, it is reasonable to regard all 68 participants as student‐teachers.

3. This is not the usual way to disseminate scientific findings. Normally, scientists present their findings at conferences and/or send their work to scientific journals to undergo a peer‐review process prior to publication. During the SARS emergency, every scientist was keen to share findings about SARS coronavirus as soon as possible in the effort to stop the spread of a life‐threatening disease.

4. Several of the case studies currently being developed are situated in chemistry and/or physics.