Who will teach the ‘nature of science’?: teachers' views of science and their implications for science education

Abstract

What are the views and beliefs of science teachers on the nature of science? What are their concerns and needs in tackling this aspect of the science curriculum in the classroom? Will their beliefs and concerns exert a major influence on the way they present science to their students? These are the central questions addressed in this paper.

The paper summarizes the results of a research project which examined the views of a range of science teachers using a method derived from personal construct theory. The results of the study have a number of implications for science education and provide pointers to the provision of inservice education in this area.