Teaching Nature of Science with Multicultural Issues in Mind: The Case of Arab Countries

Abstract

Although NOS is included in standards and curricular frameworks in several Arab countries and many research studies have been conducted on the topic in these countries, a rigorous review of the extant literature showed that no systematic reviews of research regarding nature of science (NOS) were conducted in these countries to understand the nature and impact of this research. Consequently, this chapter reviews NOS research studies that have been conducted in Arab countries to investigate the frameworks of NOS adopted in the studies, the different constituencies’ views of NOS, the status of NOS in science textbooks and curricula, and the approaches that have been used to teach NOS. Additionally, we provide examples of approaches that can be used to teach NOS in the cultural context of Arab countries. Specifically, for this chapter we underscore that the frameworks used researching NOS in Arab countries do not provide or use a comprehensive view of NOS that is sensitive to multicultural issues. Accordingly, we propose that further research is inclusive of multicultural matter by proposing the use of an NOS framework entitled the family resemblance approach (FRA) to NOS. Our recommendation is based on the premise that FRA is responsive to NOS multicultural issues, and has the potential to engender more in-depth thinking about science and its role in society.