This study examined the conceptions of nature of science (NOS) possessed by a group of gifted seventh‐grade students from Taiwan. The students were engaged in a 1‐week science camp with emphasis on scientific inquiry and NOS. A Chinese version of a NOS questionnaire was developed, specifically addressing the context of Chinese culture, to assess students' views on the development of scientific knowledge. Pretest results indicated that the majority of participants had a basic understanding of the tentative, subjective, empirical, and socially and culturally embedded aspects of NOS. Some conflicting views and misconceptions held by the participants are discussed. There were no significant changes in students' views of NOS after instruction, possibly due to time limitations and a ceiling effect. The relationship between students' cultural values and development of NOS conceptions and the impact of NOS knowledge on students' science learning are worth further investigation.
This study deals with the development of students' systems thinking skills in a college course. Data were collected to answer the following research questions: 1. What are the factors influencing the development of students' systems thinking ability? and 2. What kinds of relationships are existent among the cognitive components of systems thinking? A general education course, Science and Environment, in which the objectives were established to improve students' abilities for making investigations, evaluating environmental information, and taking environmental actions. Thirty-four college students from various technology-related majors participated in this course. The study was situated in a classroom context; normal assessment practices were used to document students' perceptions about the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) (the so-called Mad Cow Disease).Analysis of individual student system maps revealed that most students were able to identify the elements of the issue from different perspectives and recognize the operations of and interactions between elements at the beginning of this teaching unit. Results of the post-course assessment showed that the students' systems thinking traits could be categorized in the Levels 4 and 5. In the interviews, the students reflected the drawing of system maps, which could help them consider a complex issue comprehensively and be more considerate while making decisions.
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