A Systematic Review of Studies about Conceptions on the Nature of Science in Science Education

Abstract

The nature of science (NOS) has been highlighted as an important component of science education, since scientific knowledge can contribute to decision-making by contemporary citizens. There are few quantitative review studies in the field of science education. Given the importance of the topic, and the need to organize and understand the knowledge produced by research on conceptions of NOS, we carried out a systematic review based on the principles of PRISMA, in order to quantify and initiate reflection on (i) the publication trends of articles on NOS conceptions (ii) the main characteristics of these articles, (iii) the NOS aspects frequently cited as important for teaching, and (iv) the main strategies used to access NOS conceptions. We analyzed 396 articles published up to February 2015 in Teaching and Education journals listed on WebQualis 2013. Our systematic review represented an initial effort to present an overview of the area, and enabled us to identify research trends and gaps. Investigational efforts are needed to investigate NOS conceptions in the Brazilian context that are associated with the teaching of specific disciplines. We found twenty-five NOS aspects reported to be important for teaching, addressed part of the debate on consensus and the lists of NOS aspects, and presented general characteristics of the main questionnaires used to investigate NOS conceptions.

Um Levantamento Em Larga Escala Das Concepções De Natureza Da Ciência De Graduandos De Biologia Brasileiros E Os Possíveis Elementos Formativos Associados

“…Considering that research on NOS conceptions started around 1960 (LEDERMAN, 1992;SCARPA, 2017a), the interest in comparing NOS conceptions between different groups of students (especially those outside basic education) and professionals, is relatively recent. In a survey among university students, Jehng et al (1993) noted that students from the courses of social sciences, art, and humanities are more prone to accept the fact that knowledge is uncertain when compared with those studying natural sciences, engineering and management.…”

“…Among the aspects frequently listed as consensual, those outstanding are (i) the empirical character of science, (ii) the absence of a unique scientific method, (iii) the interdependence between science and society, (iv) the role of creativity and collaboration among scientists for the production of knowledge, (v) the tentative character of science, (vi) the use of empirical evidence and logic, and (vii) the correlations between laws and theories (LEDERMAN, 1992;MCCOMAS et al, 2002;LEDERMAN, 2007;PARASKEVOPOULOU;KOLIOPOULOS, 2011;ABD-EL-KHALICK, 2012). Apart from the apparent unanimity perpetuated by these seven aspects of NOS, there are several others, at least 25 according to the systematic review of Azevedo & Scarpa (2017a), that are related to several sciences, and which are not taken into consideration in the assumed consensual point-of-view. Even though, since the mid-1960s there are studies on the insertion of NOS elements into teaching, the combined debate on which, how and why NOS aspects need to be taught is relatively recent (AZEVEDO; SCARPA, 2017a).…”

“…Notwithstanding the increase over the last years in the number of studies on NOS conceptions (AZEVEDO; SCARPA, 2017a), probably due to the concern with including scientific meta-knowledge at several teaching levels (MCCOMAS; OLSON, 1998;ACEVEDO-DÍAZ, 2005), contemplation and criticism of a consensual NOS viewpoint, as presented by Adúriz-Bravo (2005), Clough (2006), Allchin (2011), Irzik & Nola (2011), Matthews (2012, Martins (2015), and Azevedo & Scarpa (2017a), are, as yet, not widely known 1 . A large part of research on NOS conceptions is still focused on basiceducation students' inadequate viewpoints about NOS aspects, and on how scientific education could contribute to the maturation of these conceptions (LEDERMAN, 1992).…”

“…A large part of research on NOS conceptions is still focused on basiceducation students' inadequate viewpoints about NOS aspects, and on how scientific education could contribute to the maturation of these conceptions (LEDERMAN, 1992). There is also an increasing number of studies dedicated to investigating NOS conceptions among active teachers or those in preparation (SHAPIRO, 1996;TOSUN, 2000;LEDERMAN, 2000a;ACEVEDO-ROMERO, 2002;AKERSON et al, 2006;BELL et al, 2011) (AZEVEDO;SCARPA, 2017a). Furthermore, researchers have tried to understand whether there is a global pattern related to students' NOS conceptions, or whether regional and cultural factors are capable of exerting a certain influence here.…”

“…Notwithstanding the growth of research on NOS conceptions over the last few years in Brazil (e.g. TEIXEIRA et al, 2001;TAVARES, 2006;TEIXEIRA et al, 2009), these are rather scarce, especially on a large scale, as shown in a systematic review by Azevedo & Scarpa (2017a), who analyzed 396 articles published up to February, 2015, on the Science Education journals.…”