From ‘Science in the Making’ to Understanding the Nature of Science: An Overview for Science Educators

The Nature of Science is highly topical among science teacher educators and researchers. Increasingly, it is a mandated topic in state curriculum documents. This book draws together recent research on Nature of Science studies within a historical and philosophical framework suitable for students and teacher educators. Traditional science curricula and textbooks present science as a finished product. Taking a different approach, this book provides a glimpse of science in the making – scientific practice imbued with arguments, controversies, and competition among rival theories and explanations. Teaching about science in the making is a rich source of motivating students to engage creatively with the science curriculum. Readers are introduced to science in the making through discussion and analysis of a wide range of historical episodes from the early 19th century to early 21st century. Recent cutting-edge research is presented to provide insight into the dynamics of scientific progress. More than 90 studies from major science education journals, related to nature of science are reviewed. A theoretical framework, field tested with in-service science teachers, is developed for moving from ‘science in the making’ to understanding the Nature of Science.