Teaching nature of science to pre-service early childhood teachers through an explicit reflective approach

The findings related to the research questions were presented under two main titles in this section.

3.1 The Pre Service Early Childhood Teachers’ NOS Views

How the views of the students about the target aspects of NOS changed before and after the instruction was presented in Table 2.

Table 2: Percentage change in participants’ views of the target aspects of NOS

NOS aspects	No Understanding			Emerged Understanding			Informed
NOS aspects	Pre-test	Post-test	Change	Pre-test	Post-test	Change	Pre-test	Post-test	Change
Tentative	20	0	-20	50	40	-10	30	60	+30
Empirical	10	0	-10	60	10	-50	30	90	+60
Theory driven	60	10	-50	20	30	+10	20	60	+40
Creative	20	0	-20	40	30	-10	40	70	+30
Interpretative	10	0	-10	60	50	-10	30	50	+20

Table 2: Percentage change in participants’ views of the target aspects of NOS

3.1.1. Tentative aspect of NOS:

Findings from the Table 2 show that the views of half of the student teachers in the sampling of the study stated that science is dynamic. On the one hand, they defend that there is no possibility for present knowledge to be incorrect or change in the future.

“Science always reveals knowledge whose accuracy is absolute everywhere. Because of this, it is out of question that scientific knowledge can change radically, but new knowledge can only be added to the former knowledge.” (John)

When the course was completed, 60% of the participants adopted the informed views of tentative aspect of NOS. After a three-month instruction, there was no teacher candidate who has the view that scientific knowledge never changes. While 40 % of the participants explained in some questions that scientific knowledge can change, they could not continue their views in some questions.

“Scientific knowledge can change in time. There are a lot of examples in history of science such as the shape of the Earth, formation of the universe, the movements of the planets ……... With the scientists’ looking into the new data or present data without the new data through a different window, what we have learned as true can change today.” (Natalie)

3.1.2. Empirical aspect of NOS:

According to Table 2, before the course, more than half of the participants (60%) have the views of empirical aspect NOS in emerged understanding category.

“The most important feature of science that distinguishes it from other sciences is that science depends on experimental data. The scientists make explanations in the light of scientific data. ……. Another important feature of science is that it is objective. There are steps that the scientists follow. Anyone who follows the same steps achieves the same result at the end of the experiment.” (John)

When the course was completed, 90% of the pre-service teachers reached the informed views of empirical aspect of NOS. They usually gave the following answers in the post test.

“Scientific knowledge depends on the data obtained via systematic ways. Each scientist can follow a different systematic way. If the experimental data is not interpreted by the scientist, they cannot become meaningful.”(Lauren)

3.1.3. Theory driven aspect of NOS:

Table 2 show that only 20% of the participants had the informed views of theory driven aspect of science before the course. Before starting the course, more than half of the pre-service early childhood teachers had not used any statements parallel with the contemporary viewpoint in the theory driven aspect of science. They thought that science is objective and they believed that when the scientists do not have enough data about the subject they work on, they come up with different results about the same subject.

“It is quite normal to have many theories about why the dinosaurs became extinct because this phenomenon was experienced millions of years ago. We do not have enough data about this matter. If more and well-preserved fossils are found, a compromise about this matter can be obtained.” (Sara)

When the course was completed, 60% of the participants had adopted the informed views of the theory driven aspect of NOS. Most of the students mentioned the Sequencing Events and The Aging Teacher activities shown to help the student teachers for the better understanding of theory driven aspect of science in course instruction.

“As a human effort, science holds every single thing belonging to human beings in it. For example, the prejudices, prior-knowledge, and even the socio-cultural values of the society he lives in affect his studies. Although we had the same data, we came up with different ideas with the most of the activities we did in the course. For example, we wrote a story by putting the events in order in the pictures we were given in one of the activities…..” (Rachel)

3.1.4. Creative aspect of NOS:

40% of participants had the informed views of the NOS before they started the course. The same amount of the participants stated their views in the emerging understanding category of NOS. They had noticed that creativity and imagination was important in the acquisition of scientific knowledge. They think that creativity can be used for the determination of research topic of a scientific research, design of an experiment and implementation stages but the stages of interpretation of the data and getting to conclusion are separate from creativity.

“Of course, scientific studies require creative thinking and imagination. The scientist answers such questions as what I can do on which topic, what kind of experiment I can do about this subject, what kind of result I can obtain with their creativity.” (Emily)

After the course, the ones who had informed views increased 30% and reached to 70%. What attracted the attention was that they expressed their views mostly by referring to Hypothesis Boxes and Tricky Tracks activities used in the course and to the whole discussions carried out in the class after the activities. Some participants mentioned the activities it is developed by student teacher within the context of the course.

“We are shown a picture. What is asked in the picture? By using the information we gathered from the picture, we completed the remaining missing squares in our minds where creativity played an important role and we made interpretations. The scientists experience the similar processes in order to reach the results.” (Victoria).

3.1.5. Interpretative aspect of NOS:

According to Table 2, before starting the course, most of the participants (60%) had the emerged understanding views interpretive aspect of the NOS. In their written expressions and the verbal expressions in the interviews, they implied that the scientists made inferences. But, they couldn’t maintain their views throughout the questionnaire. It was observed in some of their statements that they perceived experimental data as if they were scientific results.

“The scientists can understand what the dinosaurs looked like from the fossils of them. For example, when a fossil is uncovered, it is required that a comparison must be made between whether this fossil belongs to a living creature known till now or to a new species. ….. We can be sure about what the dinosaurs looked like because there are a lot of fossils preserved from them and if we join then together, what the dinosaurs looked like will be revealed.” (Natalie)

After the instruction, 50% of the student teachers could explain the difference between the observation and inference as we have expected from the ones who have the contemporary viewpoints. They had written in their questionnaires that the scientists firstly reached the remains such as bones, footprint, and embryo to know that they really existed in the past. They continued their explanations by adding that by carrying out some researches on the data (such as making interpretations about the structure of chin if any remains belonging to tooth were found, doing chemical analysis on the fossils) the scientists had understood that the dinosaurs certainly lived in the past. In addition to all these, they determined that we cannot be sure about what the dinosaurs looked like. While defending their views, they implied that the scientists made inferences depending on the fossils.

3.2 The Pre Service Early Childhood Teachers’ Views on Course Instruction

When the expressions of the participants were analyzed, their views about the instruction they took throughout the course were gathered in eight categories. Findings from Table 3 show that learning the NOS with explicit reflective approach made the 20% of student teachers like science. More than half of the participants had the views that before they participated in this course within the context of the study, they were not aware of some aspects of NOS and they had a big picture in their minds about the features of science after the course. 30% of the pre-service teachers stated clearly that the course they took within the context of this study changed the inadequate viewpoints about some aspects of NOS in their minds towards contemporary viewpoints. 40% of the participants think that the activities of explicit reflective approach of NOS carried out quite an efficient instruction. They stated clearly that each activity provided opportunities to experience an aspect of NOS focused on concretely. A great majority of student teachers (70%) wrote that the activities were great fun and these activities made the lesson enjoyable. When Table 5 was analyzed, 20% of the pre-service teachers felt that learning NOS with explicit reflective approach developed their creative thinking skills. Nearly most of the participants thought that they made a habit of looking at the events/situations they encountered from different perspectives after the course. 80% of the participants determined that learning nature of science with explicit reflective approach is a guide for them to teach science to young children in their teaching profession.

Table 3: Participants’ views about NOS instruction

Categories	%	Participant statement
Love science	20	“I was always shy in science courses. I thought that science was a difficult course to learn. I think that it is due to the science education I had in the schools. The activities which we discussed the features of science even made somebody like me, who has prejudices against science, like science.” (Victoria)
Completing the missing parts about nature of science.	60	“Before taking this course, I realized that I was not aware of some features of science. For example, the prior knowledge of the scientists, the points of views they have, and socio-culture values of the society they live in and etc. can affect their interpretation of the data. Just like the different interpretations of two people looking at the same pictures. I have never thought over this feature of science before.” (Jessica)
Correcting the mistakes about nature of science	30	“I, who is going to be a teacher next year, realized that I had some wrong ideas about what science is. Before this term, I thought that because scientific knowledge was proved to be absolute, it would never change. After the term, I don’t think so. In many activities we did, we reached the conclusion that the knowledge which we accept to be true today will change and/or develop. We gave examples about a lot of topic such as the formation of the Earth and planets to show that our knowledge is changing and developing.” (Maria)
Providing effective teaching	40	“I think that the activities of nature of science are quite effective because we had the opportunity to experience each feature of science perceptibly with the activities. For example, we made inferences by using the data in the activity like the scientists. If I had bought a book about nature of science and read it would not have been as effective as this.” (Jennifer)
Enjoying the activities	70	“Most of the activities were attention grabbing and enjoyable. I have never thought that science would be so enjoyable.” (Alexandra)
Supporting creativity	20	“We generated results with imagination and creativity with most of the activities. …..During the term, besides the activities our teacher brought to the class, we also designed activities for pre-school children to have them comprehend the features of science and scientific knowledge. Our teacher wanted the activities we developed to be authentic. Because of this, we had to know the present activities in order to design the activities but it was not enough. There had to be pieces in the activity which belonged to us. It was challenging for me at the beginning. I thought for day, did research, and discussed it with my friends, as the scientists did. In the end, a product belonging to me was generated. What’s more, I can think more creatively.” (John)
Acquisition of habit of looking at from different perspectives	90	“There was not a single way to get to conclusion in the activities we did. Each student in the class interpreted the case by looking at it from different perspectives. Interpretations which I had never thought before were made in the activities of putting the events in order and foot prints. From now on, I’m trying to look at every situation I come across from different perspectives.” (Gabrielle)
Professional benefit	80	“The activities we did about the nature of science (tangram, putting the events in order, old teacher and so on) became the guides for us about what we should do and how we should do in order to have the young students acquire the correct view point. Moreover, I’m thinking of using these activities, and the activities developed by me and my peers in my professional teaching life.” (Amanda)