Impact of Teaching Materials Based on the Family Resemblance Approach on Pre-service Chemistry Teachers’ Views of Nature of Science

Abstract

Abstract This study investigated the impact of teaching materials developed using the reconceptualized family resemblance approach to the nature of science (RFN) on pre-service chemistry teachers views about the nature of science (NOS). The materials were based on the book Leviathan and the Air-Pump: Hobbes, Boyle, and the Experimental Life by Shapin and Schaffer (1985), which covers various aspects of NOS emphasized by the RFN. The pre-service teachers underwent 15 weeks of constructivist learning, including lectures, discussions, and essay writing, and their understanding of NOS was evaluated using a pre- and post-test. The results revealed changes in their understanding of NOS, particularly in the social aspects of science. This study is significant in shedding light on the specific challenges that participants encountered when grappling with the idea of science as a social and institutional system.