Students' understanding of the nature of science

This paper addresses fundamental questions about the nature and purposes of the science curriculum, in the context of findings from a study of young people's understanding of the nature of science in the 9-16 age range.(1) Three aspects of understanding of the nature of science were addressed in the study, namely the perceived purposes of scientific activity and the demarcation of science as a domain, the nature and status of scientific knowledge and its relationship to empirical evidence, and social and institutional aspects of the scientific enterprise. The representations of science drawn upon by students in a variety of contexts are described. These findings are considered in terms of two commonly stated policy objectives for the science curriculum, namely promoting the public understanding of science and training future scientists.