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Improving Teachers’ and Students’ Views on Nature of Science Through Active Instructional Approaches: a Review of the Literature

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Abstract

The paper aims to provide a review of literature that emphasizes students’ and teachers’ views on the nature of science (NOS) and associated instructional approaches to develop adequate understanding of the NOS that have been employed in different contexts. One hundred and seventy-two (172) studies were selected from ResearchGate, Academia, Google Scholar, and ERIC database from the year 2000 to 2022 and few important documents published before 2000. The paper presents an exploration of NOS aspects and identifies the gaps in the previous researches. The reviewed studies inform us that students have strong misconceptions on some NOS aspects such as relationship between theories and laws, observations, and scientific method, while teachers have strong misconception on relationship between theories and laws. The NOS instructional approaches discussed in reviewed papers have a positive effect in improving the NOS understanding. Reviewed literature suggests that some instructional approaches have positive effect to teach most of targeted NOS aspects such as explicit and reflective approach. In addition, the findings indicate that explicit and reflective instruction has been more documented and tried out into different contexts in which a considerable effect on students’ views on NOS was noted. Despite all efforts put in place, there is still a need for a lot to be done on active instructional approaches and interventions in this regard, particularly in developing countries with emphasis to the Sub-Saharan Africa education context.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support from the African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science (ACEITLMS) is thankfully acknowledged. The authors also acknowledge the reviewers for the constructive comments and suggestions.

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  1. African Centre of Excellence for Innovative Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science (ACEITLMS), College of Education (UR-CE), University of Rwanda, Rukara Campus, Kayonza, Rwanda

    Jean Bosco Bugingo & Lakhan Lal Yadav

  2. Department of Mathematics, Science and Physical Education, UR-CE, Rukara Campus, Kayonza, Rwanda

    Lakhan Lal Yadav

  3. Department of Foundation, Management and Curriculum Studies, UR-CE, Rukara Campus, Kayonza, Rwanda

    Innocent Sebasaza Mugisha

  4. Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, TIFR, Mumbai, India

    K. K. Mashood

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• Author. (2005): Yadav, L. L. (2005). Physics Teaching Methods, in Education Module 11: Mathematics and Physics Teaching Methods. Kigali Institute of Education.

• Authors. (2007): Yadav, L. L., & Shrivastava, M. (2007). Teaching and learning of the nature of science and technology: A look from a developing country. The International Journal of Learning, 14(2), 119–126. .

• Authors. (2018): Uwizeyimana, D., Yadav, L. L., Musengimana, T., & Uwamahoro, J. (2018). The impact of teaching approaches on effective physics learning: An investigation conducted in five Secondary Schools in Rusizi District, Rwanda. Rwandan Journal of Education, 4(2), 4–14.

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Bugingo, J.B., Yadav, L.L., Mugisha, I.S. et al. Improving Teachers’ and Students’ Views on Nature of Science Through Active Instructional Approaches: a Review of the Literature. Sci & Educ 33, 29–71 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-022-00382-8

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