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Profiles of freshman physics students' views on the nature of science
Author(s) -
Ibrahim Bashirah,
Buffler Andy,
Lubben Fred
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of research in science teaching
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.067
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1098-2736
pISSN - 0022-4308
DOI - 10.1002/tea.20219
Subject(s) - mathematics education , science education , nature of science , sample (material) , psychology , observable , key (lock) , chemistry , physics , computer science , chromatography , computer security , quantum mechanics
The views on various aspects of the nature of science (NOS) of 179 novice undergraduate physics students were investigated using six open‐ended, written probes. These views were consolidated within compact NOS “profiles,” which were designed based on the students' responses to the probes. These profiles may be understood as sets of key descriptors, which represented the variation in the views of individual students in a succinct way. The views of 86% of the sample were found to be represented by four profiles, each containing five descriptors. The consequences for the teaching and learning of tertiary science, and advantages for linking NOS views to other research observables were explored. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 46: 248–264, 2009