Representations of the Nature of Science in South African Physical Sciences Textbooks on Electricity and Magnetism

Autor/inn/en	Yeh, Yi-Fen; Dhurumraj, Thasmai; Ramnarain, Umesh
Titel	Representations of the Nature of Science in South African Physical Sciences Textbooks on Electricity and Magnetism
Quelle	In: Science & Education, 32 (2023) 5, S.1537-1559 (23 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Yeh, Yi-Fen) ORCID (Dhurumraj, Thasmai) ORCID (Ramnarain, Umesh)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0926-7220
DOI	10.1007/s11191-022-00370-y
Schlagwörter	Scientific Principles; Foreign Countries; Physical Sciences; Textbooks; Energy; Magnets; Secondary School Science; Textbook Evaluation; South Africa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Natural sciences; Naturwissenschaften; Naturwissenschaft; Textbook; Text book; Schulbuch; Lehrbuch; Energie; Stabmagnet; Südafrika; Süd-Afrika; Republik Südafrika; Südafrikanische Republik
Abstract	Developing students' understanding of and about science is an important educational goal. Learning the nature of science (NOS) has been recognized as a critical component of science literacy, affecting how students (our future citizens) make informed decisions. Textbooks can be useful teaching materials if the content presented aligns with curriculum guidelines, but they may not completely satisfy students' learning needs. The reconceptualized FRA to NOS (RFN) offers a framework for teachers and students seeking to unpack and construct a comprehensive understanding of NOS. The present research analysed how NOS was represented in three chapters addressing magnetism and electricity in three high school textbooks published in South Africa. Using the 11 RFN categories and four levels of information explicitness criteria as analytical tools, we found that scientific practices, scientific knowledge, and social values were the three most frequently used NOS representations. Textbook excerpts representing these three RFN categories at different levels of information explicitness were also discussed in order to show how the target RFN were represented on this topic. Chronological diagrams were employed to denote how NOS representations interacted with one another, as well as reveal the level of information explicitness. Finally, the identified learning goals proposed by the textbooks were analysed to see how the NOS-related content aligned with the learning goals from the RFN perspective. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01