Abstract:
The research focus of this thesis is premised on the idea that the key to understanding the development of scientific knowledge is an appreciation of its tentativeness. Consequently the purpose of this research was to examine New Zealand secondary science teachers’ understanding of the tentative Nature of Science (NoS). A mixed methods research design was used. It involved a questionnaire that included openended questions, completed by 67 teachers. The other qualitative component of this method was an interview with three teachers about a story that exemplified tentative NoS. Analysis of the questionnaire and interviews showed that most teachers recognised science knowledge as tentative. Some appreciated the duality of tentativeness and certainty. The reasons for scientific knowledge being tentative were identified as: the quality and quantity of the evidence; the subjective nature of scientists’ work; influences from both the culture of the scientific community of practice and from wider society. The document analysis component of this research demonstrated that the New Zealand curriculum does not give teachers coherent guidance about NoS. These findings suggest that because the curriculum is a major influence on how teachers understand the nature of science (Duschl & Wright, 1989), there needs to be more clarity in the New Zealand curriculum about the tentative nature of science.