Nature of science in teacher education: Rationale, realities, issues and strategies

Abstract

Developing students’ understanding of the nature of science (NOS), as a key component of scientific literacy, is regarded as a central goal in science education. The strengthening of this focus on NOS in school curricula provides an imperative for increased emphasis on NOS in science teacher education programmes. Such programmes need to encompass the development of a robust understanding of this often unfamiliar and core strand of science and also the ability to translate this understanding into effective classroom teaching and learning. Developing science education courses that support thinking and teaching about NOS is not without its challenges given the short time frame of teacher education programmes in general, and the even shorter time frame of the science education component of such programmes. The aim of this research was to critically analyse the effectiveness of various course components designed to develop participants’ views of NOS, and to identify and investigate the various factors that mediated the development of participants’ pedagogical content knowledge for NOS. The study employed design research methodology, drawing on critical research and used a case study approach for its capacity to focus on the dynamics within a setting. The research had five phases, each with a different focus and each with a different cohort of primary teacher education university students, both graduate and undergraduate. Findings from this research have identified a number of factors which facilitate the development of robust understanding of NOS and pedagogical content knowledge for effective NOS teaching and learning. These include explicit teaching of NOS; the use of generic activities as analogies; both contextualised and decontextualised instruction; the use of authentic contexts to deepen understanding; provision of structured opportunities for repeated reflection; Web 2.0 technology to scaffold reflection and knowledge building for NOS; microteaching and peer teaching to develop PCK and self-efficacy for teaching NOS; and the centrality of a metacognitive and learning-as-conceptual change framework. Findings from this research will inform the design of teacher education science courses and the pedagogical practices of preservice and inservice teachers.