NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1077270
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Oct
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1756-1108
EISSN: N/A
The Analysis of the Changes in Integration of Nature of Science into Turkish High School Chemistry Textbooks: Is There Any Development?
Aydin, Sevgi; Tortumlu, Selma
Chemistry Education Research and Practice, v16 n4 p786-796 Oct 2015
To attain the goal of scientific literacy, the nature of science (NOS) is one of the areas that should be addressed. In many countries, the training of scientifically literate generations is a fundamental aim of science education, as a result there is an emphasis on NOS in science curricula and curricular materials. Textbooks prepared to teach curricula should incorporate aspects of NOS for all grades. In Turkey, the secondary science curricula were reformed in 2013. In this document analysis, aspects of NOS were included, the approach adopted for integrating aspects of NOS (i.e., explicit-reflective, implicit, and historical), and content-embeddedness of integration were analyzed in the reform-based and old high school chemistry textbooks published and provided by the National Ministry of Education. The results revealed that from the 9th to the 12th grade, the number of NOS aspects mentioned in the textbooks decreased. The most frequently cited aspects were the tentative nature of scientific knowledge, the empirical basis of science, and the difference between observation and inference. However, models in science, creativity and imagination were NOS aspects that were overlooked. Regarding the approach, contrary to the suggestion of the literature, the implicit approach was employed frequently. Finally, NOS aspects were provided in a content-embedded way in the 9th and 10th grades whereas they were presented mostly in a content-generic way in the 12th grade. Only the 9th grade textbook provided two NOS activities for teaching NOS. Although some changes have been made regarding teaching NOS, some important parts are missing. In light of the results, we suggest that all NOS aspects should be integrated into textbooks in an explicit-reflective way. Additionally, for teaching NOS, explicit-reflective activities should be offered in textbooks.
Royal Society of Chemistry. Thomas Graham House, Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 0WF, UK. Tel: +44-1223 420066; Fax: +44-1223 423623; e-mail: cerp@rsc.org; Web site: http://www.rsc.org/cerp
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education; Grade 9; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; High Schools; Grade 10; Grade 11; Grade 12
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A