Abstract
Epistemological views characterise how individuals view the certainty, source and organization of knowledge. Previous research has demonstrated some relationships between epistemological views and nature of science (NOS) views. These relationships may be particularly interesting for biology students who are learning about topics such as evolution which are societally controversial but not scientifically controversial. In this study, we examine the relationship between epistemological views and empirical NOS views for three classes of college biology learners in a Midwestern US university. We used the Learning Contexts Questionnaire to characterise participants’ epistemological Perry levels and question 1 of the VNOS-C to characterise their empirical NOS views. Based on a series of chi-square analyses, no relationship between Perry level and empirical NOS views was identified. Significant relationships between empirical NOS views and gender and empirical NOS views and biology class were identified. These findings and implications for future work are discussed.
Résumé
Les conceptions épistémologiques caractérisent les façons dont les personnes conçoivent le degré de certitude, la source et l’organisation des connaissances. Les recherches antérieures ont montré l’existence de certains liens entre les vues épistémologiques et les vues sur la nature des sciences. Ces liens peuvent être particulièrement intéressants pour les étudiants de biologie dont l’apprentissage comprend des sujets tels que l’évolution, qui sont controversés sur le plan sociétal, mais ne sont pas controversés sur le plan scientifique. Dans cette étude, nous analysons les liens entre les points de vue épistémologiques et les points de vue empiriques sur la nature des sciences dans trois classes de biologie au niveau collégial. Nous avons utilisé le Questionnaire sur les contextes d’apprentissage pour déterminer le niveau épistémologique des participants selon le modèle de Perry, et la Question 1 du VNOS-C pour définir leurs points de vue empiriques sur la nature des sciences. Sur la base d’une série d’analyses χ2 nous n’avons relevé aucun lien entre le niveau de Perry et les points de vue empiriques sur la nature des sciences. Des liens significatifs ont été relevés d’une part entre les points de vue empiriques sur la nature des sciences et le sexe des participants, et d’autre part entre ces points de vue et la classe de biologie. Ces résultats et leurs implications pour des recherches ultérieures sont analysés.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abd-El-Khalick, F., & Akerson, V. L. (2004). Learning as conceptual change: Factors that mediate the development of preservice elementary teachers’ views of nature of science. Science Education, 88, 785-810.
Akerson, V. L., & Buzzelli, C. A. (2007). Relationships of preservice early childhood teachers’ cultural values, ethical and cognitive developmental levels, and views of nature of science. Journal of Elementary Science Education, 19, 15-24.
Akerson, V. L., Morrison, J. A., & Roth McDuffie, A. (2006). One course is not enough: Preservice elementary teachers’ retention of improved views of nature of science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 43, 194-213.
Akerson, V. L., Buzzelli, C. A., & Donnelly, L. A. (2008). Early childhood teachers’ view of nature of science: The influence of intellectual levels, cultural values, and explicit reflective teaching. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(6), 748-770.
Akyol, G., Tekkaya, C., Sungur, S., & Traynor, A. (2012). Modeling the interrelationships among pre-service science teachers’ understanding and acceptance of evolution, their views on nature of science and self-efficacy beliefs regarding teaching evolution. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 23(8), 937–957.
Arino de la Rubia, L. S., Lin, T., & Tsai, C. (2014). Cross-cultural comparisons of undergraduate student views of the nature of science. International Journal of Science Education, 36, 1685-1709.
Blackquiere, L.D., & Hoese, W.J. (2016). A valid assessment of students’ skill in determining relationships on evolutionary trees. Evolution Education and Outreach, 9, 5.
Borgerding, L.A., & Dagistan, M. (2018). Preservice science teachers’ concerns and approaches for teaching socioscientific and controversial issues. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 29(4), 283-306
Borgerding, L. A., Deniz, H., & Shevock, E. A. (2017). Evolution acceptance and epistemological views of college biology students. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 54(4), 493-519.
Bråten, I., Gil, L., Strømsø, H.I., & Vidal-Abarca, E. (2009). Personal epistemology across cultures: exploring Norwegian and Spanish university students’ epistemic beliefs about climate change. Social Psychology of Education, 12, 529–560.
Bromme, R., Kienhues, D., & Porsch, T. (2010). Who knows what and who can we believe? Epistemological beliefs are beliefs about knowledge (mostly) to be attained from others. In L. D. Bendixen & F. C. Feucht (Eds.), Personal epistemology in the classroom (pp. 163–194). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Clary, R.M., & Wandersee, J.H. (2012). Mandatory climate change discussions in online classrooms: Promoting students’ climate literacy and understanding of the nature of science. Journal of College Science Teaching, 41(5), 70-79.
Cofré, H., Cuevas, E., & Becerra, B. (2017). The Relationship between biology teachers’ understanding of the nature of science and the understanding and acceptance of the theory of evolution. International Journal of Science Education, 39(16), 2243–2260.
Cofré, H. L., Santibáñez, D. P., Jiménez, J. P., Spotorno, A., Carmona, F., Navarrete, K., & Vergara, C. A. (2018). The effect of teaching the nature of science on students’ acceptance and understanding of evolution: myth or reality? Journal of Biological Education (Routledge), 52(3), 248–261
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Dagher, Z. R., & BouJaoude, S. (2005). Students’ perceptions of the nature of evolutionary theory. Science Education, 89, 378-391.
Deniz, H. (2011). Searching for components of conceptual ecology that mediate development of epistemological beliefs in science. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 20(6), 743-749.
Deniz, H., Donnelly, L., & Yilmaz, I. (2008). Exploring the factors related to acceptance of evolutionary theory among Turkish preservice biology teachers: Toward a more informative conceptual ecology for biological evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(4), 420-443.
Donnelly, L.A., & Argyle, S. (2011). Teachers’ willingness to adopt nature of science activities following a physical science professional development. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 22, 475-490.
Downie, J. R., & Barron, N. J. (2000). Evolution and religion: attitudes of Scottish first year biology and medical students to the teaching of evolutionary biology. Journal of Biological Education, 34, 139-146.
Glaser, B.G., & Strauss. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New York, NY: Aldine De Gruyter.
Hewson, P. W. (1985). Epistemological commitment in the learning of science: Examples from dynamics. European Journal of Science Education, 7, 163-172.
Hofer, B. K. (1997). The development of personal epistemology: Dimensions, disciplinary differences, and instructional practices. Doctoral dissertation. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Hofer, B. K. (2002) Personal epistemology as a psychological and educational construct: an introduction. In B. K. Hofer, & P. R. Pintrich (Eds), Personal epistemology: the psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 3-14). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Hofer, B. K., & Pintrich, P. R. (1997). The development of epistemological theories: Beliefs about knowledge and knowing and their relation to learning. Review of Educational Research, 67, 88-140.
Karaman, A. (2017). Identifying demographic variables influencing the nature of science (NOS) conceptions of teachers. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5 (5), 824-837.
Kelton, J., & Griffith, J. V. (1986). The learning context questionnaire for assessing intellectual development. Unpublished manuscript. Davidson College, Davidson, NC.
Kim, S. Y., & Nehm, R. H. (2011). A Cross-cultural comparison of Korean and American science teachers’ views of evolution and the nature of science. International Journal of Science Education, 33, 197-227.
Lambert, J. L., & Bleicher, R. E. (2013). Climate change in the preservice teacher’s mind. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 24(6), 999-1022.
Leaper, C., & Robnett, R.D. (2011). Women are more likely than men to use tentative language, aren’t they? A meta-analysis testing for gender differences and moderators. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35, 129-142.
Lederman, N. G. (1992). Students’ and teachers’ conceptions about the nature of science: A review of the research. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29, 331-359.
Lederman, N. G., Abd-El-Khalick, F., Bell, R. L., & Schwartz, R. S. (2002). Views of nature of science questionnaire: toward valid and meaningful assessment of learners’ conceptions of nature of science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39, 497-521.
Liu, D. C. (2012). Science denial and the science classroom. CBE - Life Sciences Education, 11(2), 129-134.
Lombardi, D.; Sinatra, G.M. (2013). Emotions about teaching about human-induced climate change. International Journal of Science Education, 35, 167-191.
Lombardi, D., Seyranian, V., & Sinatra, G. M. (2014). Source effects and plausibility judgments when reading about climate change. Discourse Processes: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 51(1), 75–92.
Lonka, K., & Lindblom-Ylanne, S. (1996). Epistemologies, conceptions of learning, and study practices in medicine and psychology. Higher Education, 31, 5–24.
Mason, L., Boldrin, A., & Zurlo, G. (2006). Epistemological understanding in different judgment domains: Relationships with gender, grade level, and curriculum. International Journal of Educational Research, 45, 43–56.
Matkins, J. J., & Bell, R. L. (2007). Awakening the scientist inside: Global climate change and the Nature of Science in an Elementary Science Methods course. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 18(2), 137-163.
Maxwell, J.A. (2010). Using numbers in qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16, 475-482.
Moore, W.S. (2002). Understanding learning in a postmodern world: Reconsidering the Perry scheme of intellectual and ethical development. In B. K. Hofer, & P. R. Pintrich (Eds), Personal epistemology: the psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 17-36). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Muis, K. R., & Foy, M. J. (2010). The effects of teachers’ beliefs on elementary students’ beliefs, motivation, and achievement in mathematics. In L. D. Bendixen & F. C. Feucht (Eds.), Personal epistemology in the classroom (pp. 435–469). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
National Science Teachers Association. (2000). NSTA position statement: The nature of science.
Ozgelen, S. (2012). Exploring the relationships among epistemological beliefs, metacognitive awareness and nature of science. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 7, 409-431.
Partin, M. L., Underwood, E. M., & Worch, E. A. (2013). Research and teaching: Factors related to college students’ understanding of the nature of science--comparison of science majors and nonscience majors. Journal of College Science Teaching, 42(6), 89–99.
Perry, W. G. (1970). Intellectual and ethical development in the college years: A scheme. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Rutledge, M. L., & Warden, M. A. (1999). The development and validation of the Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution Instrument. School Science and Mathematics, 99, 13-18.
Sandelowski, M., Voils, C.I., & Knafl, G. (2009). On quantitizing. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 3, 208-222.
Schommer, M. (1994). Effects of beliefs about the nature of knowledge on comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 498-504.
Sinatra, G. M., Southerland, S. A., McConaughy, F., & Demastes, J.W. (2003). Intentions and beliefs in students’ understanding and acceptance of biological evolution. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40, 510–528.
Tasquier, G., Levrini, O. & Dillon, J. (2016). Exploring students’ epistemological knowledge of models and modelling in science: results from a teaching/learning experience on climate change. International Journal of Science Education, 38, 539-563.
Wang, X., Zhou, J., & Shen, J. (2016). Personal epistemology across different judgment domains: effects of grade level and school curriculum. Educational Psychology, 36(1), 159-175.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Borgerding, L., Deniz, H. Nature of Science Views and Epistemological Views of College Biology Students. Can. J. Sci. Math. Techn. Educ. 19, 290–303 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-019-00049-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-019-00049-7