This study investigated the perceptions of elementary school preservice teachers in their 4th year at KEducation University, an elementary school teacher-training institution, on the nature of science (NOS). To examine the differences in elementary school preservice teachers’ perceptions of NOS according to their high school career aptitude, we conducted in-depth interviews with two students each in the humanities and social sciences (HS) and natural sciences (NS) based on the subjects that they had taken while attending high school. For this purpose, we used the Views of Nature of Science Form C (VNOS-C) and Views about Scientific Inquiry (VASI) questionnaires, which were reconfigured. The main research results were that the elementary school preservice teachers showed a positivistic perspective on the NOS, validity of scientific knowledge, difference between theory and law, and social and cultural embeddedness of science. However, they had a latest perspective on the tentativeness of scientific knowledge, observation and inference, and the role of imagination and creativity. In particular, there were clear differences in perception between HS and NS teachers in the areas of tentativeness of scientific knowledge and understanding of observation and inference. Based on these research results, educational implications for improving the science education competencies of preservice elementary school teachers were proposed.

We present an analysis of the papers published in the journals Nature and Science in the years from 2006 to 2010. During this period, 7788 papers in total were published in the two journals. This includes 544 astronomy papers that correspond to 7.0% of the papers in 'all' research fields and 18.9% of those in the field of 'physical sciences'. The sub-fields of research of the astronomy papers are distributed, in a descending order of the number of papers, in Solar System, stellar astronomy, galaxies and the universe, the Milky Way Galaxy, and exoplanets. The observational facilities used for the studies are mainly ground-based telescopes (31.1%), spacecrafts (27.0%), and space telescopes (22.8%), while 16.0% of papers did not use any noticeable facilities and 1.7% used other facilities. Korean scientists have published 86 papers (33 in Nature and 53 in Science), which is 1.10% of all the papers (N = 7788) in the two journals. The share of papers by Korean astronomers among the scientific papers by Koreans is 8.14%, slightly higher than the contribution of astronomy papers (7.0%) in both journals.

본 연구의 목적은 글로벌 과학적 소양 함양을 위한 수업이 학생들의 과학의 본성에 대한 관점에 어떤 영향을 주는지 살펴보는 것이다. 연구 참여자는 8학년 65명의 남학생이며, '지구와 별' 단원에 대하여 5주 동안 글로벌 과학적 소양 수업을 실시하였다. 수업 전과 후에 학생들의 과학의 본성에 대한 이해정도를 살펴보았다. 연구 결과 단기간의 글로벌 과학적 소양 함양을 위한 수업으로 학생들의 과학의 본성에 대한 관점을 변화시키는 것은 어려운 과제임을 확인할 수 있었다. 그러나 사회학적 측면에서, 학생들의 과학의 본성에 대한 이해가 철학적, 심리학적, 역사학적 관점에서 보다 상대적으로 향상된 것을 발견할 수 있었다.

이 연구는 비형식적 교육기관인 자연사 박물관의 전시를 학교 과학교육에 활용하기 위한 장기적인 목적 하에, 과학교육과정의 주요한 목표 중의 하나인 과학의 본성 측면이 박물관의 전시에 어떻게 반영되고 있는지를 살펴본 기술적 연구이다. 국내 4개 자연사박물관 혹은 자연사 전시실의 전시 중에서 과학 탐구 중심의 전시와 과학사 사례 중심의 전시를 대상으로, 전시매체, 그리고 설명문의 서술방식과 내용에서 반영되는 과학의 본성은 어떤지를 살펴보았다. 설명문의 서술방식은 확정적인지 해석적인지를 살펴보았고, 내용으로는 과학자 중심, 과학자 집단 논의, 사회 문화적 배경, 주장에 대한 근거, 과학지식의 변화가능성 여부를 살펴보았다. 이 연구 결과를 통해 전체적으로 자연사박물관에 과학의 본성 측면이 드러난 전시가 풍부하지 않음을 파악할 수 있었으며, 따라서 의도적으로 과학의 본성 교육을 위한 전시가 절실히 필요하다는 점을 알 수 있다. 이 연구의 결과는 학교과학교육에서 접근하기 어려운 과학의 본성을 교육시키기 위한 훌륭한 자료 원으로서 자연사박물관의 전시 및 교육의 방향과 개선 방안을 위한 기초 자료를 제공한다.

The purpose of this study is to suggest the modification of activities to introduce the nature of science in earth science classrooms. A small modification can turn ordinary textbook activities into the nature of science activities. Since earth science could provide a good basis for the tentative, creative, and socially and culturally embedded nature of science, as well as appropriate understanding about scientific methods, careful modification of earth science activities could be effective for students to understand the nature of science. Considering which aspects of the nature of science are appropriate, along with the possible change in the activity, teachers will be able to modify textbook activities effectively. An example modification of H-R diagram activity was also suggested.

본 연구의 목적은 과학 교과교육학 지식의 본질과 역할이 무엇이며 어떻게 발달하는가를 알아보는데 있다. 구체적인 연구 문제는 첫째, 과학 교과교육학 지식의 본질과 구성 요소는 무엇인가? 둘째, 과학 교과교육학 지식의 가치와 교사의 과학 교과교육학 지식은 어떻게 발달하는가? 이다. 이를 해결하기 위해서 본 연구는 실증적이고 경험적인 데이터에 의한 문제해결보다는 문헌 연구를 통한 접근을 하였다. 연구 결과는 다음과 같다. 과학 교과교육학 지식의 본질은 첫째, 교사 개인이 특정한 과학 수업 상황 속에서 과학 교과를 가르치는데 사용하는 과학의 내용 지식과 과학 교수방법 지식의 합성체를 의미하는 것이다. 둘째, 교사 자신이 가지고 있는 교수를 위한 독특한 지식체로서 과학 교사 전문성의 요체가 되며, 자질 있는 과학 교사가 갖추어야 할 가장 핵심적이고 필수적인 사항이다. 셋째, 어떤 특수한 상황에서 특수한 내용을 어떻게 가르치느냐에 관한 지식으로서 이것은 각 교사마다 독특하게 구성된 지식 체계에 따라 달라진다. 과학 교과교육학 지식의 구성 요소는 과학 교수에 대한 지향, 과학 교육과정에 대한 지식과 신념, 특수한 과학 주제에 대한 학생들의 이해에 관한 지식과 신념, 과학에서 평가에 관한 지식과 신념, 과학 교수를 위한 수업전략에 관한지식과 신념이다. 과학 교과교육학 지식의 발달은 교과 내용에 대한 개념적 지식이 충분히 형성되어야 하며, 이 내용 지식을 실제적인 교수 경험을 통하여 반복적으로 사용함으로써 발달한다.

The purpose of this study is to assess gifted students' conceptions about nature of science (NOS). Scientifically gifted students who are expected to be professionals in the future should possess an adequate understanding of NOS that if firm foundation for scientific career. 47 volunteers from the 8th grade gifted science program in Seoul National University Gifted Education Center participated to answer questions inquiring NOS conceptions. Their answers were analyzed and compared to different groups such as non-gifted students and younger gifted students. As a result, gifted students' understanding of NOS appeared to surpass that of non-gifted students in many aspects and it seemed that gifted students formed their NOS view in early ages. The relative weakness in their NOS conceptions was found in understanding of scientific enterprise. Their strong misunderstanding about obstacles that minority people would face in scientific enterprise was noticed, too. They admitted that there has been discrimination in scientific enterprise, but they wrongly believed that outstanding scientists cannot be affected by it. Further studies will be required to probe more.

The purpose of this study was to develop a new test instrument based on AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy, to assess k-12 students' progress in understanding nature of science (NOS). A total of 276 items were developed including 33 items for grade k-2, 36 items for grade 3-5, 78 items for grade 6-8 and 129 items for grade 9-12 and they were reviewed for validity and reliability. Key ideas that were the foundation of test items were extended, sophisticated and enriched according to the grade level. The general score of this test represents a student's cognitive state about an understanding of NOS. The result of this test can be expected to give some useful information for follow-up investigations, improving instructional design, and conducting further studies.

We have studied 73 pre-service science teachers' conceptions about the nature of science (NOS) using 120 true-false test items based on AAAS Benchmarks statements. We have found that participants have inadequate understanding of the NOS, especially in understanding of five categories of conceptions; change and continuity in science, bias in scientific investigations, hypothesis in scientific investigations, things common in science, and science ethics. The result also indicates that there is a difference between primary pre-service teachers and secondary pre-service teachers. From the analysis of consistency, we also found that this inadequate understanding comes from confusion rather than misconception. All the results support that there is a need of intense pre-service teacher education concerning thenature of science.

The vast writings on the Reformation and the Modern science have produced in terms of either-or. In other words, the relations between the Reformation and the Modern science have interpreted either in negative way or in positive way. The negative interpretations hold that the Reformation would have had little effect on modern scientific revolution. On the other hand, the positive interpretations argue that specific doctrines or attitudes affirmed by the Reformers and their followers contributed directly or indirectly to the growth of modern science. After brief discussion of each of these interpretations, this paper will claim that the correlationship of the Reformation and the Modern science would be explained more clearly when interpretations of their relation are explored in terms of Calvin’s principle of accommodation. For Calvin, accommodation is related to his understanding of God. According to Calvin, God reduces or adjusts to human capacities in order to reveal the infinite mysteries of his being. Because his mysteries are beyond the powers of human being to grasp. The paper will try to reveal the importance of Calvin’s accommodation theory through his understanding of nature. For Calvin, the world of nature represents traces of God’s handiwork. The world is a “mirror”, in which God may be viewed. Therefore, Calvin was intensely interested in exploring of nature. The attitude of Calvin toward nature enabled science to able to penetrate more deeply into the secrets of divine wisdom. Consequently, the paper shows that complexities of relation between the Reformation and the rise of modern science appears to be many-sided. In addition, this paper demonstrates that it is noteworthy to note the relations of religion and science in the Reformation era as an important instance historically.