ERIC Number: EJ1309350
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Oct
Pages: 37
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0926-7220
EISSN: N/A
Reintroducing "the" Scientific Method to Introduce "Scientific Inquiry" in Schools? A Cautioning Plea Not to Throw out the Baby with the Bathwater
Science & Education, v30 n5 p1037-1073 Oct 2021
There are some crucial critiques on "scientific inquiry" and "the" Scientific Method in current science education. Recent research literature is replete with arguments against inquiry's legitimacy to be included in science classes, and it has even been abandoned from the Next "Generation Science Standards." Critics of "scientific inquiry" in schools blame it to be a caricature of authentic inquiry suffering from five shortcomings: (1) "knowledge becomes desocialized" from its generative contexts, (2) "scientific inquiry" in schools suggests "methodological monism" favoring (3) a "primacy of experimentation," (4) which portrays "scientific inquiry" as a "knowledge automaton" (5) raising an "illusion of determination" with regard to the generation of knowledge. This article argues for a reorientation of "scientific inquiry" in schools tentatively embracing "the" Scientific Method anew since critics appear not to sufficiently consider that "scientific inquiry" operates differently in schools from science. It will be shown that most critiques can be defused when untangling such an illegitimate mix-up of science proper with school science. It will be argued that current (and recent) descriptions of how science generates knowledge lack authoritative validity and should be fundamentally revisited. "The" Scientific Method will be shown to be a valid idealization that can serve as a frame of reference for introductory science classes. Still, it is understood that science education needs to extend beyond "the" Scientific Method if it is to prepare for science-related careers.
Descriptors: Scientific Methodology, Inquiry, Science Instruction, Authentic Learning, Active Learning, Educational Research
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A