Examining Students’ Views on the Nature of Science: Results from Korean 6th, 8th, and 10th Graders

Authors

Sukjin Kang, Jeonju National University of Education
Lawrence C. Scharmann, Kansas State UniversityFollow
Taehee Noh, Seoul National UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2004

Citation

Science Education 89 (2004), pp. 314–334.

doi: 10.1002/sce.20053

Comments

Copyright © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Use by permission.

Abstract

In this study, students’ views on the nature of science (NOS) were investigated with the use of a large-scale survey. An empirically derived multiple-choice format questionnaire was administered to 1,702 Korean 6th, 8th, and 10th graders. The questionnaire consisted of five items that respectively examined students’ views on five constructs concerning the NOS: purpose of science, definition of scientific theory, nature of models, tentativeness of scientific theory, and origin of scientific theory. Students were also asked to respond to an accompanying open-ended section for each item in order to collect information about the rationale(s) for their choices. The results indicated that the majority of Korean students possessed an absolutist/empiricist perspective about the NOS. It was also found that, on the whole, there were no clear differences in the distributions of 6th, 8th, and 10th graders’ views on the NOS. In some questions, distinct differences between Korean students and those of Western countries were found. Educational implications are discussed.