English Secondary Students' Thinking about the Status of Scientific Theories: Consistent, Comprehensive, Coherent and Extensively Evidenced Explanations of Aspects of the Natural World--Or Just "An Idea Someone Has"

Autor/inn/en	Taber, Keith S.; Billingsley, Berry; Riga, Fran; Newdick, Helen
Titel	English Secondary Students' Thinking about the Status of Scientific Theories: Consistent, Comprehensive, Coherent and Extensively Evidenced Explanations of Aspects of the Natural World--Or Just "An Idea Someone Has"
Quelle	In: Curriculum Journal, 26 (2015) 3, S.370-403 (34 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0958-5176
DOI	10.1080/09585176.2015.1043926
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Secondary School Science; Secondary School Students; Science Education; Student Attitudes; Scientific Attitudes; Scientific Principles; Theories; Grade 8; Scaffolding (Teaching Technique); Semi Structured Interviews; United Kingdom (England) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Sekundarschüler; Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung; Schülerverhalten; Theory; Theorie; School year 08; 8. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 08
Abstract	Teaching about the nature of science (NOS) is seen as a priority for science education in many national contexts. The present paper focuses on one central issue in learning about NOS: understanding the nature and status of scientific theories. A key challenge in teaching about NOS is to persuade students that scientific knowledge is generally robust and reliable, yet also in principle always open to challenge and modification. Theories play a central role, as they are a form of conjectural knowledge that over time may be abandoned, replaced, modified, yet sometimes become well established as current best scientific understanding. The present paper reports on findings from interviews with 13-14 year olds in England where target knowledge presents theories as "consistent, comprehensive, coherent and extensively evidenced explanations of aspects of the natural world". Student thinking reflected a two-tier typology of scientific knowledge in which largely unsupported imaginative ideas ("theories") became transformed into fairly definitive knowledge (such as laws) through relatively straightforward testing. These results are considered in relation to research into intellectual development which indicates that effective teaching in this area requires careful scaffolding of student learning, but has potential to contribute to supporting intellectual development across the curriculum. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01