Abstract
BackgroundThis article presents the findings from a survey of 189 pre-service science teachers who were asked to provide definitions of key scientific terms ('theory'; 'fact'; 'law'; 'hypothesis'). The survey was a scoping and mapping exercise to establish the range and variety of definitions.MethodsGraduates on a pre-service science teacher training course were asked to complete a short, free response survey and define key science terminology a >95% response rate was achieved and respondents definitions were categorised according to a best fit model.ResultsIn some cases, definitions contrary to accepted scientific meanings were given. In other cases, terminology was defined in a wholly non-scientific way, e.g., one-fifth of the respondents defined a ‘law’ in the context of rules that govern society rather than in a scientific context. Science graduates’ definitions and their understanding of key terminology is poor despite their study of science in formal university settings (with many respondents being recent science graduates).ConclusionsKey terminology in science, such as 'theory', 'law', 'fact', 'hypothesis', tends not to be taught and defined with consideration for the differences in meaning that different audiences/users give to them. This article calls for better instruction for pre-service science teachers’ in the importance of accurate and precise definitions of key science terminology in order to better differentiate between the scientific and colloquial usage of key terms.
Highlights
This article presents the findings from a survey of 189 pre-service science teachers who were asked to provide definitions of key scientific terms ('theory'; 'fact'; 'law'; 'hypothesis')
This article reports the results of a survey of science graduates training to be science teachers and their understanding of key scientific terms such as 'theory', 'hypothesis', 'law' and 'fact'
Definitions of theory The definitions of theory provided by respondents fell broadly into two areas: unproven ideas (UI) 29.1% and an explanatory system of ideas (ESI) 24.9%
Summary
This article presents the findings from a survey of 189 pre-service science teachers who were asked to provide definitions of key scientific terms ('theory'; 'fact'; 'law'; 'hypothesis'). This article reports the results of a survey of science graduates training to be science teachers and their understanding of key scientific terms such as 'theory', 'hypothesis', 'law' and 'fact'. The language of science has developed over centuries and its use as a means of communicating between scientists and as a way of organizing scientific thought (e.g., through the establishment of systematic names for plants, animals and units of measurement), are important aspects of how science is viewed by nonscientists - as a technical, precise discipline that avoids personal feelings or attitudes (Crosland, 2006)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have