Zoubeida R. Dagher

Developing a graduate level science education course on the nature of science

The purpose of this report is to outline our experiences designing and teaching a course on the nature of science to science education graduate students. By addressing questions related to the creation of a new university course, the design of the course syllabus, and the transformation of the syllabus into instruction, we hope to make our craft knowledge more accessible to others who create such courses.

Science education in Arab states: bright future or status quo?

This paper describes the current state of science education in Arab states and anticipates some of the challenges faced by those states as they reform their science education. After discussing problems of illiteracy, access and quality we provide contextual information about the structure of the educational systems and describe recent efforts to reform them. We focus on issues pertaining to science curriculum and textbooks, language, religion, student learning in science, science teacher education and science education research and summarise the challenges and opportunities for research faced in each area. We conclude the paper by proposing a set of policy and research recommendations that could aid in the development of lasting solutions for recurring problems.

Regaining focus in Irish Junior Cycle Science: potential new directions for curriculum and assessment on Nature of Science

The Irish national discourse on curriculum and assessment reform at the Junior Cycle level has been fraught with controversy in the past two years. The introduction of the new curriculum and assessment framework in 2012 by the then Minister of Education, Ruairi Quinn has led to significant media coverage and teacher union response. In this paper, we argue that in the midst of the reaction toward the particular assessment elements of the framework, the focus has been lost on key revisions made in the draft science curriculum and assessment specification released in September 2014. A central aspect of the draft document released for consultation includes the introduction of a ‘Nature of Science’ (NOS) theme intended to be an overarching feature of all science teaching and learning. We examine the coverage of NOS in the draft document and analyze it relative to a model of NOS developed in our recent book. Our analysis illustrates that the draft science curriculum and assessment specification for Junior Cycle incorporates contemporary research and aligns the Irish curriculum with most features of NOS, although some aspects need further development including the articulation of a nuanced model of NOS. We highlight some future directions for curriculum and assessment development for a comprehensive, coherent and holistic coverage of NOS in Junior Cycle Science in Ireland.

Exemplary Teaching of Argumentation: A Case Study of Two Science Teachers

The teaching of argumentation has been advocated as a significant goal for science education worldwide. Argumentation involves the coordination of evidence and theory to support or refute an explanatory conclusion, model or prediction. Even though argumentation has gained popularity as a pedagogical strategy, there is limited understanding of how enculturation into pedagogical practices around argumentation influences science teachers. The main objective of this chapter is to present a case study of two middle-school science teachers who participated, over 5 years, in various school-based research projects on argumentation ranging from basic research in teaching and learning to the development of professional development programs for training teachers in argumentation. The projects took place between 1999 and 2004 in the United Kingdom. The teachers were asked to reflect as a pair on various aspects of teaching and learning of argumentation. The results address the teachers’ views and knowledge of argumentation, their perceptions of the goals, constraints and successes in their teaching of argumentation, their perceptions of themselves as learners and teachers, and their reflections on the professional development that they received. Implications for professional development of pre-service and in-service teachers are discussed

Abandoning Patchwork Approaches to Nature of Science in Science Education

The purpose of this commentary onHodson and Wong’s (2017, this issue) article is to clarify the merits of the expanded family resemblance approach (FRA) to science education, briefly alluded to in their article, and to discuss the implications of this approach relative to the question of demarcation they raise. In clarifying themerits of the expanded FRA, we describe its distinct features and how it relates to other approaches presented in their article. We discuss some limitations pertaining to their discussion of the demarcation problem in science education and conclude by pointing out the promising role an FRA approach might play in providing means for distinguishing more fromless scientific fields of inquiry.RésuméLe but de ce commentaire sur l’article d’Hodson et Wong (2017) est d’analyser les mérites de la thèse des ressemblances familiales étendues en enseignement des sciences, à laquelle les auteurs font brièvement allusion, et d’en analyser les implications pour ce qui est de la démarcation dont il est question. En précisant les mérites de cette approche, nous en décrivons les traits distinctifs et la façon dont elle est liée à d’autres approches également présentées dans le même article. Nous nous penchons sur certaines limites posées par l’analyse du problème de la démarcation en enseignement des sciences, et nous concluons par le rôle prometteur que pourrait jouer l’approche des ressemblances familiales dans la détermination du caractère relativement plus, ou relativement moins, scientifique des différents champs de recherche.

Laws and Explanations in Biology and Chemistry: Philosophical Perspectives and Educational Implications

This chapter utilises scholarship in philosophy of biology and philosophy of chemistry to produce meaningful implications for biology and chemistry education. The primary purpose for studying philosophical literature is to identify different perspectives on the nature of laws and explanations within these disciplines. The goal is not to resolve ongoing debates about the nature of laws and explanations but to consider their multiple forms and purposes in ways that promote deep and practical understanding of biological and chemical knowledge in educational contexts. Most studies on the nature of science in science education tend to focus on general features of scientific knowledge and underemphasise disciplinary nuances. The authors aim to contribute to science education research by focusing on the characterisations of laws and explanations in biology and chemistry in the philosophical literature and illustrating how the typical coverage of biology and chemistry textbooks does not problematise meta-perspectives on the nature of laws and explanations. The chapter concludes with suggestions for making science teaching, learning and curriculum more inclusive of the epistemological dimensions of biology and chemistry.

From Lists in Pieces to Coherent Wholes: Nature of Science, Scientific Practices, and Science Teacher Education

The chapter provides a case for holistic consideration of nature of science (NOS) such that NOS can be inclusive of themes as scientific practices. One account of NOS is based on the family resemblance approach (FRA) developed by Erduran and Dagher (Reconceptualizing the nature of science for science education: scientific knowledge, practices and other family categories. Springer, Dordrecht, 2014a). In this framework, NOS is a cognitive-epistemic and social-institutional system, and scientific practices is one category embedded in the system. We briefly review the recent debates on NOS to contextualize our approach and define FRA-based NOS. As part of our depiction of scientific practices as a component of NOS, we proposed a theoretical framework called the benzene ring heuristic (BRH) which consolidates the epistemic, cognitive, and social aspects of scientific practices into a holistic and visual representation. BRH describes scientific practices in terms of concepts such as data, models, explanations, predictions, argumentation, and social certification. After reviewing BRH, we describe a funded project that integrated BRH in a preservice science teacher education program in Turkey. Qualitative analysis of preservice science teachers’ representations of scientific practices is described in detail and contrasted pre- and post-intervention that involved training through the use of BRH. The results indicate that in some cases there was improvement in preservice science teachers’ depiction of scientific practices as being holistic. The study provides empirical evidence on the implementation of a relatively new approach to NOS that is inclusive of scientific practices.

Aims and Values of Science

This chapter explores the role of aims and values in science. In particular, the epistemic and cognitive aims and values are emphasized, as the social, political and cultural aims and values, are revisited in Chap. 7 in the context of the discussion on social contexts of science. To guide the discussion in this chapter, the following example questions are posed: What are the aims and values of science, and how do values function? For instance, what values come into play when scientists choose between theories? Do values apply similarly across different functions in science? How do values limit or expand scientific knowledge? The components of scientific aims and values are discussed as originally described by various philosophers of science and the review is extended to draw some implications for science education. Examples are drawn to show how scientific aims and values can be promoted in science lessons particularly in relation to assessment of a range of values. The discussion is contextualized in a contemporary curriculum standards document.

Family Resemblance Approach to Characterizing Science

This chapter draws on the work of Irzik and Nola (2014) on the Family Resemblance Approach (FRA) to inform characterisations of nature of science in science education. The components of the FRA are described and a rationale is provided for drawing on FRA to characterise the nature of science for science education. The FRA can provide a fresh new perspective on how science can be conceptualized in general and how such conceptualisation can be useful for teaching and learning of science in particular. The FRA is described and extended being mindful to have sufficient context and content for it to be of use for science education purposes. Izrik and Nola’s depiction of FRA, which describes components of science in terms of categories subsumed under epistemic, cognitive and social systems, does not provide an extensive discussion. The key categories are reviewed to illustrate the theoretical aspects of the various components. Hence, part of the aim of the chapter is to build on the FRA itself. In applying the FRA to science education, Irzik and Nola’s philosophical model is developed into a functional framework for instructional and learning purposes throughout the rest of this book. In particular, Irzik and Nola’s linguistic and textual account is transformed into a visual representation that highlights the need for a dynamic and interactive tool representing science in a holistic account. The transformed FRA informs the content and structure of the chapters in the rest of the book.

Towards Generative Images of Science in Science Education

In this chapter, the potential contributions of the Family Resemblance Approach (FRA) in science education are explored. The following questions are raised: How are the various FRA categories related to curriculum standards? How can science learning be supported in developing understanding of holistic accounts of NOS? It is argued that the FRA categories bring coherence to the content of NOS in the science curriculum when coupled with effective teaching strategies. Having proposed in previous chapters specific visual tools to ease memory, conceptualization and communication of the FRA categories, we now refer to them collectively as the Generative Images of Science (GIS) to emphasize their pedagogical utility. The FRA and the GIS heuristics are applied to example curriculum standards. The potential contributions of the FRA framework to research and development in science education are explored and some recommendations are offered.