Comparing teachers' scientific epistemological stances and development

Abstract

This study investigated the ways in which belief about the nature of scientific knowledge vary between different scientific epistemological stances, known as sophisticated, high transition, low transition and naive. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight elementary physics teachers that represented each epistemological stance from an analysis of 70 physics teachers responses to the Teachers' Physics Scientific Epistemological (PSET) questionnaire. The quantitative content analysis employed involved nominal and ordinal coding to locate scientific epistemology development for five dimensions of nature of scientific knowledge, known as tentativeness of scientific knowledge, observation and inferences, creativity in science, scientific theories and laws and scientific methods.The finding explained teachers' understanding about the current characterization of the nature of science in science education. The topology of the development is framed ranging from sophisticated, knowledgeable and naive. The arguments proceed in two parts. First, all respondents have somewhat mixed epistemic belief, with the tendency towards naive, especially for the tentativeness of scientific knowledge, scientific theories and laws and scientific methods. The second part of the argument, then describes how existing characteristic of the nature of science explains teachers' acquisition towards scientific knowledge.