Investigating the Level of Understanding of Elementary Pre-Service Teachers About the Nature of Science Based on the Family Resemblance Approach and Providing Strategies for Its Improvement

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Shahid Rajaee University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor,, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University

3 Department of Physics Education, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shahid Rajaee University, Tehran, Iran

4 Professor of Curriculum Studies, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran

5 Assistant Professor of Research Institute for Education

Abstract

The aim of this research is to assess the level of understanding of elementary pre-service teachers about the nature of science and to provide strategies to enhance their understanding. This study is practical from the point of view of the objectives, and according to the nature of the data, it is of a mixed type (quantitative-qualitative). In the quantitative section, a sample of 340 elementary pre-service teachers was selected using convenience sampling, and to assess their understanding of the nature of science was used the Family Resemblance Approach questionnaire by Kaya. In the qualitative section, data were collected using a synthesis research method to identify strategies. The statistical population for this section included all articles from the last five years on the education of the nature of science, from which 22 articles aimed at designing an educational program. In the first part of the research, the results indicated that student teachers lacked sufficient understanding of the components of the nature of science. In the second part, factors influencing the teaching were identified, including the understanding of fundamental concepts, the relationship between theory and practice, the use of interdisciplinary approaches, constructivism, STEM education, technology-based methods, and creative teaching and questioning techniques.

Keywords

Educational and Scholastic studies

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 27 April 2025

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