Apresentamos e discutimos neste trabalho dois argumentos, provindos de obras de dois dos principais teóricos de currículo, Michael Apple e Michael Young, em defesa do conhecimento sobre a ciência no ensino de ciências. Depois de um resgate histórico acerca do reconhecimento da importância da história e filosofia da ciência no ensino de ciências, retomamos as críticas de natureza filosófica à chamada visão consensual da natureza da ciência. Insistimos que a distância entre o debate sobre a natureza da ciência no ensino de ciências e suas críticas mantém-se longe de debates de natureza social, política e curricular, e apontamos para a necessidade de um papel político para a história e filosofia da ciência na educação científica. Afirmamos que isto significa terem um papel na resistência e combate a processos mais amplos ao ensino de ciências, como o processo de mercantilização da educação e da ciência e às ondas de valorização e desvalorização ideológica da ciência. Primeiro, com base em apontamentos da teoria crítica de currículo e em obras seminais de Apple e seu conceito de conflito, advogamos que a abordagem tipo-tenets presente na visão consensual tende, por sua forma, a ser convidativa a políticas de avaliações padronizadas, guiadas pelas ideologias neoliberal e cientificista-positivista, coadjuvantes a políticas educacionais mercantilizantes. Argumentamos, pois, que a história da ciência e o conceito de conflito devem ser entendidos como uma contraideologia do conflito às ideologias neoliberal e cientificista-positivista, emergindo seus papeis políticos de resistência aos processos de mercantilização da educação. Segundo, apoiados em obras recentes de Young e seu conceito de conhecimento poderoso, defendemos que o conteúdo da visão consensual flerta demasiadamente com visões subjetivistas, ressonantes a defesas relativistas epistêmicas pós-modernas. Assim, argumentamos que a filosofia da ciência, balizada por uma visão realista estrutural social, deve ser entendida como um metaconhecimento poderoso, proposição conceitual baseada naquela de Young, contra o relativismo epistêmico e políticas curriculares localistas que excluem a ciência. A natureza política deste argumento evidencia-se no fato de que tal exclusão viola princípios de equidade e de justiça social, traduzidos no apelo de garantia mínima acesso educacional irrestrito, amplo e efetivo a conhecimentos poderosos. Por fim, discutimos tensões entre os argumentos propostos, ponderações nas abordagens consideradas, e apontamos para desenvolvimentos futuros. / We present and discuss in this thesis two arguments, based in the works of two leading curriculum theorists, Michael Apple and Michael Young, in defense of knowledge about science in science teaching. After a historical rescue on the recognition of the importance of the history and philosophy of science in science education, we discuss briefly the philosophical criticism over the so-called consensus view of nature of science. We argue that the distance between the debate on the nature of science in science teaching and its mains critics remains far from arguments of social, political and curricular nature, then we stress the need for a explicit political role for the history and philosophy of science in science education. This means take into account broader processes in education, such as the process of commodification of education and science and the waves of ideological valuation and devaluation of science. First, based on critical curriculum theory and in Apple\'s seminal works and his concept of conflict, we advocate that the tenets-type approach present in the consensus view, by its form, tends to be inviting to standard tests, high-stakes testing, as well to the neoliberal and scientistic-positivist ideologies, inherent in commodification policies. We argue, therefore, that the history of science and the concept of conflict must be understood as a counter-ideology of conflict against neoliberal and scientistic-positivist ideologies, and their political roles emerge as a resistance to the commodification processes of education. Second, based on Young\'s recent works and his concept of powerful knowledge, we argue that the content of the consensus view of nature of science is sympathetic to subjectivist visions, resonating with the postmodern epistemic relativism. Thus, our argument is that philosophy of science, guided by a realistic structural social view, should be understood as a powerful metaknowledge, a conceptual proposition based on Young\'s, against epistemic relativism and localist curricular policies that exclude science. The political nature of our argument is evidenced by the fact that such exclusion violates principles of equity and social justice, translated into the call for minimum guarantee of unrestricted, broad and effective educational access to powerful knowledges. Finally, we discuss tensions between the proposed arguments, as well limitations in our approaches, and point to future developments.

Pesquisas atuais na área de ensino de ciências têm enfatizado a importância de uma formação científica humanística que seja ampla e geral, mais significativa para estudantes em todos os seus níveis de ensino. Assim, considerando o âmbito das pesquisas sobre as potencialidades do uso da história da ciência no ensino e a importância de se ensinar sobre a natureza da ciência (NdC), torna-se relevante pesquisar a presença desses conteúdos nos livros didáticos, dada sua grande influência no ensino, já que assume um papel crucial na educação, e também o fato de o livro didático não ser totalmente desprovido de conteúdos desse tipo. Sendo assim, este trabalho analisa como a história da ciência é apresentada por alguns dos mais populares livros didáticos de física para o ensino médio no Brasil, bem como as concepções sobre a natureza da ciência envolvidas nestas narrativas históricas. Geralmente, a história da ciência encontrada nos livros didáticos é distorcida e simplificada, o que se chama de pseudo-história, reforçando alguns conhecidos mitos científicos e transmitindo falsas concepções acerca da natureza da ciência a estudantes e professores. Nesta análise, dois importantes norteadores educacionais brasileiros são considerados, os PCN e o PNLEM, dada sua estreita relação com a HFC e também a influência destes programas no conteúdo dos livros didáticos. / Contemporary standards in science education have emphasized the importance of a humanistic education, more meaningful for students in all its levels of instruction. In this context, great attention has been given to the use of history and philosophy of science (HPS) in science education. Current research on the potentialities of the use of science history and the importance of teaching aspects of the nature of science (NOS), have shown that it is essential to search how those contents appear in textbooks, since they assume a crucial role in education and are not totally absent of such contents. Thus, this work analyzes how history of science is presented in some of the most popular physics textbooks for secundary education in Brazil, as well as conceptions of the nature of science involved in these historical narratives. Often the history of science found in textbooks is distorted and oversimplified, known as pseudohistory, ratifying some popular scientific myths and transmitting false conceptions concerning the nature of science to students and teachers. The analysis considered two important Brazilian educational programs, the National Curricular Parameters and the National Program for Textbooks.

Both of the national reform efforts (AAAS, 1993; NRC, 1996) encouraged teachers to engage in professional development that included authentic scientific research experiences. The Department of Energy developed a program to match teachers with mentor scientists at national laboratories for three consecutive summers. Teachers produced and presented a poster summarizing their research at the conclusion of each summer. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to better understand how scientific research experiences impacted teachers. Six dimensions were examined: trajectory of participation, content knowledge development, mentor relationships, beliefs about the nature of science, teacher confidence, and classroom practice. These six dimensions were integrated into three research questions which guided the research: the teachers’ ability to increase their level of participation from the first to the last summer of research, the teachers’ changes in their understanding of the nature of science (NOS), and any changes in the teachers’ classroom teaching because of their involvement in the program. In-depth interviews were triangulated with teachers’ posters to provide insights into teachers’ legitimate peripheral participation in the research laboratory. The VNOS-C (Lederman et al., 2002) was administered pre/post to the teachers. Evidence of more informed, developing, and more naive understandings of each of the tenets of NOS was collected and compared to identify changes in teachers’ beliefs. Interviews and follow-up correspondence informed the study of changes in classroom teaching. The teachers became very familiar with their mentors’ research, increased their subject content knowledge, and contributed to their mentor’s work. Mentors utilized teachers’ expertise as communicators when presenting research and hosting other student groups. The teachers’ understanding of the NOS did not change as a result of their immersion in the culture of the laboratory. The lens through which the teachers viewed science influenced how they perceived and interpreted their research experiences. Teachers who held positivist views reinforced them, while the lone teacher who held post-positivist views reinforced their positions. The teachers developed confidence in their ability to facilitate classroom inquiry, increased the number of inquiry-based in their curriculum, introduced advanced placement and scientific research courses, and rejuvenated their enthusiasm for teaching.

I denna avhandling visar jag hur elever och lärare genomför NO-verksamhet i grundskolan. Avhandlingen illustrerar hur elevers frågor och uttryckta erfarenheter blir en del av ett etablerat ämnesinnehåll. Syftet med studien är att skapa förståelse för hur två agendor – varav den ena baseras på elevers deltagande och den andra baseras på ett etablerat ämnesinnehåll – orkestreras så att båda agendorna tillgodoses vid genomförandet av NO-verksamheten. Studien bygger på videoobservationer under NOlektioner i skolår 5-9. Analysen visar hur olika aktiviteter i genomförandet av ett NOprojekt orkestrerar elevers frågor och uttryckta erfarenheter med ett naturvetenskapligt innehåll. Analysen visar också hur naturvetenskapens karaktär, the Nature of Science (NOS), kommuniceras som följemening till instruktioner. Vidare illustrerar avhandlingen olika sätt att använda frågor för att överbrygga vetenskapliga och vardagliga sätt att kommunicera. Resultaten visar också olika roller som elevers erfarenheter antar i en NOverksamhet. Resultaten utgör en konkretisering av skolans naturvetenskap, the Nature of School Science (NOSS). Skolans naturvetenskapliga aktiviteter begripliggörs lämpligen om de betraktas utifrån sina egna syften och förutsättningar. I avhandlingen utvecklas begreppet NOSS för att lyfta fram sådana syften och förutsättningar såsom dessa framträder i aktiviteten. / This thesis investigates and considers how students and teachers realize school science activities. Students’ questions and accounts of their experiences as they become part of an established science content form the focus of this work. Its purpose is to provide an understanding of how two agendas –one, based on students’ participation and the other, based on the already established science content –are orchestrated so that both are accounted for. The empirical work is based on video-recorded observations in science classrooms. The findings show how different activities in the accomplishment of a school science project orchestrate students’ questions and accounts of experiences with the science content. The findings also show how the nature of science (NOS) is communicated as a by-product of instruction. In addition, different uses of questions for bridging science and everyday ways of communicating are shown in the results. The findings also indicate the different roles that students’ experiences acquire in a school science activity. These results should be seen as a step towards a definition of the nature of school science (NOSS). School science activities become intelligible if we consider them from a basis of their own purposes and prerequisites. The concept of NOSS is described to elicit such purposes and prerequisites as they become apparent in the activity.

Med en ständigt ökande stoffmängd inom gymnasieskolans biologiämne är det en nyckeluppgift för läraren att prioritera undervisningsinnehåll för att ge utrymme/möjlighet till fördjupning och progression. Styrdokumenten anger att eleverna förutom ämneskunskap av faktakaraktär även ska tillägna sig kunskap om "naturvetenskapens karaktär", Nature of science (NOS). Syftet med mitt examensarbete är att utifrån skolans praktik belysa och diskutera förutsättningarna för att använda NOS som innehållsbärande idé där NOS-aspekter utgör ett instrument (bland flera) för stoffurval. Kvalitativa intervjuer har genomförts med fem gymnasielärare i biologi rörande deras uppfattningar om och värderingar av NOS i undervisningen samt om hur de ställer sig till NOS som innehållsbärande idé. Aktuella styrdokument har analyserats med avseende på skrivningar om NOS utifrån vedertagna NOS-aspekter. Genomgången av styrdokumenten har visat att de innehåller talrika skrivningar med koppling till NOS. I intervjuerna uppgav lärarna dock att explicit NOS-undervisning förekom endast i mycket begränsad omfattning. Möjliga underliggande faktorer som kan utgöra hinder för NOS i undervisning träder fram i lärarnas utsagor, exempelvis: • NOS tillmäts inte uppmärksamhet i nämnvärd omfattning vid tolkning av styrdokumenten. • Organisatoriska och administrativa hinder för att genomföra undervisning på ett alternativt sätt. • Brist på lättillgängligt undervisningsmaterial passande en undervisningsuppläggning med NOS. • Omedvetenhet hos lärarna om vad som är känt om NOS-undervisning. Utifrån resultaten i denna pilotstudie anser jag att det finns argument som talar för att vidare undersöka möjligheten att låta NOS bilda en struktur som likt en röd tråd får löpa genom undervisningsplaneringen. Examensarbetet har mynnat ut i ett diskussionsunderlag för fördjupad ventilering av NOS som möjlig innehållsbärande idé i biologiundervisningen samt i ett exempel på undervisningsplanering enligt denna idé.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of modeling instruction over traditionally designed physics instruction on students&rsquo / understanding of projectile motion concepts and their attitudes towards physics. In addition, the effects of gender difference on their understanding of projectile motion concepts and attitudes towards physics were explored. Furthermore, students&rsquo / views on the nature of science were searched. The subjects of this study included 88 tenth grade students of four classes instructed by two teachers in a private high school. One of two classes of each teacher was randomly assigned to experimental group and other classes formed control group. The modeling instruction was applied in the experimental group to teach the topic of projectile motion, it was taught with traditionally designed physics instruction in control group. Projectile Motion Concept Test, Attitude Scale towards Physics, Science Process Skill Test, and Views on Science-Technology-Society test were administered to both groups. In addition, student interviews and classroom observations were conducted. The hypotheses of the research were tested by using ANCOVA and two-way ANOVA. The results revealed that the mean score of experimental group students&rsquo / on both concept test and attitude scale was significantly higher than the mean score of control group students. Furthermore, gender was not a significant factor affecting the concept acquisition related to projectile motion and students&rsquo / attitudes towards physics. However, science process skill was determined as a strong predictor in conceptual understanding. Lastly, experimental group students had more realistic views on some basic tenets of nature of science.

The purposes of this study were to explore understanding of preservice science teachers&rsquo / (PSTs) nature of science (NOS) views during the explicit-reflective and inquiry-based laboratory instruction and investigate PSTs&rsquo / perspectives and experiences related to learning NOS aspects in the science laboratory course. This study was carried out during the Laboratory Application in Science II course. A total of 45 PSTs participated to the study. The design of the study was qualitative and exploratory in nature. In the initial phase of the study, the researcher collected qualitative data with open-ended questionnaire to explore PSTs&rsquo / NOS views. Then, during the semester, reflection papers were collected to understand PSTs&rsquo / experiences with the intervention and to detect development about each NOS aspect. At the end of the semester, qualitative questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine the impact of the explicit-reflective and inquiry-based laboratory instruction. The results showed that all of the PSTs were able to make appropriate connections among the laboratory activities and the targeted NOS aspects at the end of the instruction. In addition, many PSTs developed their understanding levels of each aspect of nature of science. Moreover, findings revealed that some of the PSTs made connections among NOS aspects. Three main factors / discussions and presentations, using inquiry skills, and doing inquiry-based laboratory activities were determined as provide to PSTs to develop their NOS understanding. Furthermore, at the end PSTs developed their perspectives about teaching NOS.

The purpose of this study is to probe whether there is a significant effect of 5E learning cycle model as compared to traditional instruction and gender on tenth grade students&rsquo / understanding in the particulate nature of matter concepts and their epistemological beliefs and to investigate whether there is an impact of 5E learning cycle model and traditional instruction in promoting the understanding of the nature of science. Pilot study was performed for the instruments in the between April and June 2009. Treatment was conducted between October and December 2009. Participants were 113 students from one high school in Ankara. Two experimental groups and two control groups were randomly formed from four classes. Before and after the treatment, pre-tests and post-tests were administered and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Treatment was executed throughout the five weeks. While 5E learning cycle model was used in the experimental group, traditional instruction was used in the control group. According to MANCOVA results, there was a significant mean difference between groups on the collective dependent variables of the particulate nature of matter concepts and epistemological beliefs toward chemistry and chemistry courses. This effect was favor of the experimental groups. Also, there was no significant mean difference between post-test mean scores of girls and boys and for the interaction of treatment with gender on the collective dependent variables of the particulate nature of matter concepts and epistemological beliefs toward chemistry and chemistry courses. Moreover, the mean scores of students in the experimental group on the understanding of the nature of science were higher than those of students in the control group. Responses of the students in the interviews supported their responses in the tests.

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore research assistants&rsquo / opinions regarding the courses they take during their graduate study in terms of improving their science perception and research skills. The research questions include research assistants&rsquo / assessments about the effectiveness of graduate courses on research skills and science perception, their evaluation of the graduate programs in terms of improving science perception, and their suggestions on the improvement of the quality of the graduate program regarding science perception and research skills. The sample for the present study contains 12 interviewees from four different v institutes of Middle East Technical University. The interviewees are all PhD candidates at METU. The sample was chosen by using purposive sampling. In this study, the data collection instrument was a semi-structured interview guide designed by the researcher. There were 8 main questions and 9 sub-questions. The collected data was analyzed through content analysis. The results of the study are presented under four main themes, which were derived from the research questions. First theme was the assessment of research skills which was about usefulness of courses, competence about research methods, reasons for not taking courses, problems because of not taking them. The second theme was the assessment of science perception which was about contributions of courses, reasons for not taking courses. The third theme was the evaluation of the graduate programs which consisted of should-be-developed and positive aspects. The last theme was about suggestions which could be realized by university administration and by personal efforts. In conclusion, the findings revealed that the research assistants are aware of the importance of research methods course for enhancing research skills, and of effectiveness of history and philosophy of science course regarding the improving of science perception. In this respect, based on literature review and the research assistants&rsquo / views it is suggested that history and philosophy of science course utilizing explicitly-reflective inquiry approach should be included curriculum of graduate programs.

The aim of this study is to investigate the views of preservice science teachers on nature of science (NOS). A total of 166 preservice science teachers participated in the study. A 21-item &ldquo / Views on Science-Technology-Society (VOSTS)&rdquo / instrument, translated and adapted into Turkish, were utilized to assess participants&rsquo / views on the nature of science. The VOSTS (Aikenhead, Ryan and Fleming, 1989) is a pool of 114 empirically developed multiple-choice items with nine categories. In this study, 21 item selected from the epistemology of science category corresponded to the purposes of the assessment. In order to understand participants&rsquo / views on nature of science in depth, semi-structured interviews were also conducted by 9 volunteer preservice science teachers. The results gave a picture of the preservice science teachers&rsquo / views on nature of science. Results of this study revealed preservice science teachers&rsquo / misconceptions on nature of science. Their views are mostly traditional on the nature of science. Results of the study indicated that preservice science teachers held traditional views (naive) regarding the definition of science / the nature of scientific models / the relationships between hypotheses, theories, and laws / fundamental assumptions for all science / the scientific method / uncertainty in scientific knowledge / epistemological status of scientific knowledge / coherence of concepts across disciplines. On the other hand participants have contemporary views (realistic) on the nature of observation / the nature of classification schemes / the tentativeness of scientific knowledge / cause and effect relationship. Analysis of interviews also supported these findings and gave a deep insight on preservice science teachers&rsquo / views on nature of science.