Explicit-Reflective Teaching Nature of Science as Embedded within the Science Topic: Interactive Historical Vignettes Technique

Abstract

It is obvious that more extensive work is needed in developing historical materials that address nature of science (NOS) concepts that will be implemented by teachers. Owing to the importance of meeting this need, research problem of this study is to design historical vignettes focused on the concept of chemical equilibrium which lies at the heart of high school and university chemistry topics by integrating NOS conceptions and to investigate whether the explicit-reflective teaching approach was effective in enhancing high school students’ views of NOS. This study aims to examine the effects of nature of science instruction with interactive historical vignette on student conceptions of (NOS) and student development. Participants were a total of 17 eleventh grade students, 7 females (41%) and 10 males (59%), in public high school in Ankara, Turkey. Adopting qualitative research techniques, the study used open-ended questions to evaluate students’ understandings of NOS and development, and reveal their accomplishments in the process. The results of this study indicate that the explicit-reflective approach to teaching of the chemical equilibrium unit to include NOS instruction as integrated within that content through interactive historical vignettes was effective in enhancing participant students’ views of NOS.