Working Toward a Better Qualitative Measure of Nature of Science (NOS) Conceptions

• In Event: Roundtable Session 20
  In Roundtable Session: Designing Performance Assessment Tools in Teacher Education

Abstract

Recent science education reforms have implicated nature of science understanding as a key aspect of scientific literacy. Unfortunately, many K-12 teachers themselves struggle to adequately understand nature of science concepts. Further complicating matters, assessing views of nature of science (VNOS) is difficult. This study proposes a qualitative measurement instrument of nature of science concepts that prompts meaningful and useful responses from participants. The instrument was developed by examining the responses of preservice teachers and identifying possible reasons for incomplete and insufficient responses to nature of science questionnaires. Through evaluation of the formatting, language use, and alignment to nature of science concepts, a new instrument was created. This new instrument promises to more thoroughly capture conceptions leading to more informed instruction.

Authors

• Huseyin Colak, Northeastern Illinois University

• Christian Alexander Carstensen, University of Illinois at Chicago