Teachers’ Knowledge Structures for Nature of Science (NOS) and Scientific Inquiry

• In Event: Critical Issues in Science Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This mixed-methods investigation examined teachers’ conceptions of nature of science (NOS) and scientific inquiry (SI) and their related classroom practice. It compared inductively-generated classroom practice knowledge structures to those explicated through a questionnaire and interview protocol. The results indicate a limited congruence between the two knowledge structures for all four participants, as included concepts were moderately similar, though the espoused connections between them were rarely evidenced in teachers’ classroom practice. The necessity of having teachers explicitly reflect on the structure of the subject matter they are learning for teaching is reiterated through the findings of the current study, while the challenges of developing these coherent conceptions and translating them during classroom practice are likewise underscored.

Authors

• Stephen A. Bartos, Middle Tennessee State University

• Norman G. Lederman, Illinois Institute of Technology