Helping students develop informed views about scientific inquiry (SI) has been and continues to be a goal of K-12 science education, as evidenced in various reform documents. Nevertheless, research focusing on understandings of SI has taken a perceptible backseat to that which focuses on the "doing" of inquiry. We contend that this is…

Research on nature of science (NOS) and scientific inquiry (SI) has indicated that a teacher's knowledge of each, however well developed, is not sufficient to ensure that these conceptions necessarily manifest themselves in classroom practice (Lederman & Druger, 1985; Lederman, 2007). In light of considerable research that has examined…

Explicates the impact of an 8-week science apprenticeship program on a group of high-ability secondary students' understanding of the nature of science and scientific inquiry. Reports that although most students did appear to gain knowledge about the process of scientific inquiry, their conceptions about key aspects of the nature of science…

Examines the knowledge, intentions, and instructional practices of two beginning secondary science teachers as they learned the subject matter of the nature of science (NOS) and attempted to teach NOS during their student teaching experience and their first year of full-time teaching. Suggests that the relationship between NOS and science subject…

Assesses the influence of three history of science (HOS) courses on college students' and preservice teachers' conceptions of nature of science (NOS). Examines whether participants who entered the investigated courses with a conceptual framework consistent with contemporary NOS views achieved more elaborate NOS understandings. Explores the aspects…

Discusses the influence of a reflective, explicit, activity-based approach to nature of science (NOS) instruction used in an elementary science methods course on preservice teachers' views of some aspects of the nature of science. Finds that participants made substantial gains in their views of some of the target NOS aspects. Advocates a…

Explores how children's ideas in science affect elementary science instruction by investigating whether and how three primary teachers recognize and react to student ideas. Finds that the experienced teacher with the highest level of content knowledge had the largest repertoire for eliciting and addressing student ideas, and the intern teacher's…

Delineates the factors mediating the translation of preservice teachers' conceptions of the nature of science into instructional planning and classroom practice. Assesses the influence of temporally separating teaching preservice teachers about the nature of science and teaching them how to address it instructionally. (Contains 42 references.)…

Delineates factors which facilitate or impede the relationship between classroom practices and teachers' understanding of the nature of science. Finds that teachers' conceptions of science do not necessarily influence classroom practice, though teachers' level of experience, intentions and perceptions of students were critically influential on…

Argues that a previous study of preservice teachers' beliefs about the nature of science (NOS) was interpretively and methodologically faulty. Contests the finding that teachers learned the NOS through implicit instruction, and questions the methodology leading to the assertion that teachers intended to include NOS instruction in their lessons.…

Reviews research from the past 40 years on students' and teachers' conceptions of the nature of science, clarifies the basic assumptions and logic which have guided earlier research efforts, contrasts the results from qualitative and quantitative research, makes recommendations about research methods, and suggests avenues for future research about…

Author asserts that the community of science educators clearly has much to learn about qualitative research traditions and standards for the evaluation of qualitative research. Argues that the research question should direct the research approaches and data analysis procedures. (PR)

Examined was the possibility that the language teachers use to communicate science content may provide the context in which students formulate a world view of science. Results are presented and the implications of these results for teacher education programs are discussed. (Author/CW)

Twelve secondary preservice teachers participated in a study designed to assess the developments and changes in preservice science teachers' subject matter and pedagogy knowledge structures as they proceeded through a professional teacher education program. Results indicated that pedagogy knowledge structure had a primary influence on…

Involves 141 students in a study to investigate the effect of the levels of group cooperation on students' achievement during a series of physical science laboratory activities. Overall, the teacher effect was more influential than instructional approach on students' behaviors and no significant differences on the students' final achievement were…