Integration of NOS Instruction into a Physical Science Content Course for Elementary Teachers: Enhancing Efforts of Teacher Education Programs?

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of integrating explicit-and-reflective NOS instruction into a physics course for pre-service elementary teachers. Reflective discussions, student scenarios, and content-generic NOS activities were incorporated into both lecture and laboratory components of the course. The VNOS-C was used to assess students' views of NOS prior to and upon completion of the course. Significant and favorable changes in students' views were evident for all the aspects of NOS emphasized, however there were also negative shifts in views apparent in students' views of the socio-cultural embeddedness of science. While positive changes in NOS views resulted from the explicit-and-reflective interventions, there is also evidence that implicit messages about NOS played a role in the development of students' ideas. The results of this study suggest that content courses may be a productive venue for improving preservice teachers' views of NOS.