‘Of course, it's just obvious’: adolescents’ ideas of scientific knowledge

What is scientific knowledge? What criteria are relevant to its production? What is scientific observation? Scientific experimentation? These are some of the key questions answered by a group of twenty‐five secondary adolescents in a research programme concerned with the representation of science. A detailed analysis of individual interviews identified the naively realistic and empiricist postulates underlying their representation of scientific knowledge and its production.

Why are we interested in students’ notions of scientific knowledge? The first reason is didactic in nature: knowledge acquired about these notions provides clues as to why our students do not understand. The second reason is ideological: it seems legitimate to ask if students have been made aware of the contemporary questions that come from epistemological reflection. The third reason is also ideological: even though many people in society do not understand modern scientific theories, it is even more bothersome that they cannot render a critical judgement on scientific discourse.