Open AccessPrimary Student Teachers’ Understanding of Basic Ideas of Nature of Science: Laws, Theories and Models
Author(s) -
Constantina Stefanidou,
Constantine Skordoulis
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of studies in education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2162-6952
DOI - 10.5296/jse.v7i1.10599
Subject(s) - grasp , scientific literacy , context (archaeology) , nature of science , mathematics education , science education , sociology , scientific law , scientific theory , epistemology , pedagogy , psychology , computer science , philosophy , paleontology , biology , programming language
Nature of Science is an integral part of scientific literacy which researchers and international policy-making institutions highlight as the purpose of science education. The notions of scientific law, theories and models are crucial for understanding the Nature of Science. These notions are better grasped in the historical context of Nature of Science. For this purpose, appropriate instructional sequences, based on semi-structured interviews, were designed and implemented to investigate whether and how the student teachers of Primary Education can perceive these concepts. The study revealed that after particular difficulties were confronted, student teachers were able to grasp firmly the notions of scientific law, theories, models and the relationships among them.