Argumentation based nature of science instruction: Influence on pre-service science teachers’ NOS views and practicing

Abstract

Nature of science (NOS) is regarded as one of the main components of science literacy. In this study, we aimed to examine the pre-service science teachers' (PSTs) NOS views and their NOS teachings after the argumentation based explicit/reflective NOS instructional method is implemented over two semesters. 41 PSTs participated to this study during the 2018–2019 academic year at a state university in Turkey. It was found that the argumentation-based NOS teaching and the PSTs' lesson plan preparation and teaching practices significantly improved PSTs’ NOS views even though they could not successfully teach in their first attempt. It is highly recommended to allow PSTs to practice as much as possible for transferring NOS knowledge into their teaching.