Advances in Nature of Science Research: Concepts and Methodologies

273 Pages·2012·3.191 MB·English

by  Michael R. Matthews (auth.), Myint Swe Khine (eds.)

Advances in Nature of Science Research
Myint Swe Khine
Editor
Advances in Nature
of Science Research
Concepts and Methodologies
Foreword by Richard K. Coll
123
Editor
MyintSweKhine
BahrainTeachersCollege
UniversityofBahrain
KingdomofBahrain
[email protected]
ISBN978-94-007-2456-3 e-ISBN978-94-007-2457-0
DOI10.1007/978-94-007-2457-0
SpringerDordrechtHeidelbergLondonNewYork
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2011938137
©SpringerScience+BusinessMediaB.V.2012
Nopartofthisworkmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorby
anymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,microfilming,recordingorotherwise,withoutwritten
permissionfromthePublisher,withtheexceptionofanymaterialsuppliedspecificallyforthepurpose
ofbeingenteredandexecutedonacomputersystem,forexclusiveusebythepurchaserofthework.
Printedonacid-freepaper
SpringerispartofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia(www.springer.com)
Foreword
Interest in, and debate about, the Nature of Science (NoS) is so prevalent nowa-
daysitiseasytoforgetthateducationresearchandscholarlydebateabouttheNoS
has persisted for more than 50 years. Despite this NoS is, if anything, increasing
inimportance,becauseknowledgeofNoSisnecessarytobecomescientificallylit-
erate. In my view NoS and scientific literacy are the science education issues of
our time because of the impact of science on everyday life. Like it or not, science
impacts upon the lives of us all, in sometimes alarming ways. This latter observa-
tionoffersinsightsintopublicuneaseaboutscienceandtheusetowhichitisput.I
suggestthenthateachandeverycitizenneedstounderstandNoSatsomelevel,and
thisshouldbeakeyoutputofscienceeducation.Thisbookcapturescontemporary
debateaboutNoSbyworldexperts.Itishighlytopicalandrefreshinglychallenging
initsapproach,yetremarkablyreadable.Itisfarmorethanacriticalreviewofthe
“stateoftheart”forNoS.TheauthorschallengeourpreconceptionsaboutNoS,and
challengeustoaddressourteachingofNoS.Thescopeofthebookisimpressive.
Moreimpressivestillisthesynthesisoftheseideaswhichresultsinaholisticpic-
ture of the NoS. To provide us with a comprehensive picture of NoS is one thing;
tounderstandhowwemightteachNoSisanothermatterentirely.Modernscience
teachersgettoldthisorthatissueissoveryimportant.Alltoofrequentlythereislit-
tleguidanceastohowonemightincorporatetopicsofNoSorscientificliteracyinto
an already crowded curriculum. This book provides researchers and teachers with
genuine insights as to current issues in teaching NoS, and consolidates contempo-
rarythinkingaboutNoS.ItthushelpsusunderstandNoSinahighlysophisticated
wayandgivesasoundsteerastohowwecanusethisunderstandinginourteaching
practice.
UniversityofWaikato,
Hamilton,NewZealand RichardK.Coll
v
Contents
PartI ConceptualIssuesintheNatureofScienceResearch
1 Changing the Focus: From Nature of Science (NOS)
toFeaturesofScience(FOS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
MichaelR.Matthews
2 Perceptual,Attentional,andCognitiveHeuristicsThat
InteractwiththeNatureofSciencetoComplicatePublic
UnderstandingofScience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
TinaA.Grotzer,RebeccaB.Miller,andRebeccaA.Lincoln
3 The Natures of Scientific Thinking: Creativity as the
Handmaiden to Logic in the Development of Public
andPersonalKnowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
KeithS.Taber
4 The Bounded Nature of Science: An Effective Tool
inanEquitableApproachtotheTeachingofScience . . . . . . . . 75
SherryA.Southerland,BarryGolden,andPatrickEnderle
5 Why the Study of Pseudoscience Should Be Included
inNatureofScienceStudies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
RonaldGood
6 The Status of the Nature of Science in Science
EducationinLebanon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
SaoumaBouJaoudeandGarineSantourian
PartII MethodologicalAdvancesintheNatureofScienceResearch
7 TeachingandLearningofNatureofScienceandScientific
Inquiry: Building Capacity Through Systematic
Research-BasedProfessionalDevelopment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
JudithS.Lederman,NormanG.Lederman,ByoungSugKim,
andEunKyungKo
vii
viii Contents
8 TheNatureofScientists’NatureofScienceViews . . . . . . . . . . 153
Renee’Schwartz
9 TheNatureofScienceortheNatureofTeachers:Beginning
ScienceTeachers’UnderstandingofNOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
JonahB.Firestone,SissyS.Wong,JulieA.Luft,andDerekFay
10 Learning About Nature of Science in Undergraduate
BiologyLaboratories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
ElisabethE.SchusslerandNazanU.Bautista
11 Beyond Understanding: Process Skills as a Context
forNatureofScienceInstruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
RandyL.Bell,BridgetK.Mulvey,andJenniferL.Maeng
12 Impact of a Nature of Science and Science Education
CourseonTeachers’NatureofScienceClassroomPractices . . . . 247
MichaelP.CloughandJoanneK.Olson
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Contributors
NazanU.Bautista DepartmentofTeacherEducation,MiamiUniversity,Oxford,
OH45056,USA,[email protected]
RandyL.Bell UniversityofVirginia,Charlottesville,VA,USA,[email protected]
SaoumaBouJaoude ScienceandMathEducationCenter,AmericanUniversity
ofBeirut,Beirut,Lebanon,[email protected]
MichaelP.Clough CenterforExcellenceinScience,Mathematicsand
EngineeringEducation,IowaStateUniversity,Ames,IA50011,USA,
[email protected]
PatrickEnderle FloridaStateUniversity,Tallahassee,FL,USA,
[email protected]
DerekFay FultonTeachersCollege,ArizonaStateUniversity,Phoenix,AZ,
USA,[email protected]
JonahB.Firestone FultonTeachersCollege,ArizonaStateUniversity,Phoenix,
AZ85069,USA,jonah.fi[email protected]
BarryGolden UniversityofTennessee,Knoxville,TN,USA,[email protected]
RonalGood ScienceEducation,LouisianaStateUniversity,BatonRouge,LA,
USA,[email protected]
TinaA.Grotzer HarvardUniversity,Cambridge,MA,USA,
[email protected]
ByoungSugKim DepartmentofCurriculumStudies,RooseveltUniversity,
Chicago,IL60603,USA,[email protected]
EunKyungKo DepartmentofElementaryEducation,National-LouisUniversity,
Chicago,IL60603,USA,[email protected]
JudithS.Lederman DepartmentofMathematicsandScienceEducation,Illinois
InstituteofTechnology,Chicago,IL60616,USA,[email protected]
ix
x Contributors
NormanG.Lederman DepartmentofMathematicsandScienceEducation,
IllinoisInstituteofTechnology,Chicago,IL60616,USA,[email protected]
RebeccaA.Lincoln HarvardUniversity,Cambridge,MA,USA,
[email protected]
JulieA.Luft SchoolofLifeSciencesandFultonTeachersCollege,ArizonaState
University,Phoenix,AZ,USA,[email protected]
JenniferL.Maeng UniversityofVirginia,Charlottesville,VA,USA,
[email protected]
MichaelR.Matthews SchoolofEducation,UniversityofNewSouthWales,
Sydney,NSW,Australia,[email protected]
RebeccaB.Miller HarvardUniversity,Cambridge,MA,USA,
[email protected]
BridgetK.Mulvey UniversityofVirginia,Charlottesville,VA,USA,
[email protected]
JoanneK.Olson CenterforExcellenceinScience,MathematicsandEngineering
Education,IowaStateUniversity,Ames,IA50011,USA,[email protected]
GarineSantourian AmericanUniversityofBeirut,Beirut,Lebanon,
[email protected]
ElisabethE.Schussler DepartmentofEcologyandEvolutionaryBiology,
UniversityofTennessee,Knoxville,TN37996-1610,USA,[email protected]
Renee’Schwartz DepartmentofBiologicalSciences,MallinsonInstitutefor
ScienceEducation,WesternMichiganUniversity,Kalamazoo,MI49008,USA,
[email protected]
SherryA.Southerland CollegeofEducation,FloridaStateUniversity,
Tallahassee,FL,USA,[email protected]
KeithS.Taber FacultyofEducation,UniversityofCambridge,Cambridge,UK,
[email protected]
SissyS.Wong CollegeofEducation,UniversityofHouston,Houston,TX,USA,
[email protected]
Part I
Conceptual Issues in the Nature
of Science Research