CHEMISTRY TEACHING FELLOWS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC THEORIES AND LAWS

The purpose of this study was to assess five chemistry teaching fellows' understanding of the characteristics and functions of scientific theories and laws, as well as the relationships between them before and after an intervention. The chemistry teaching fellows were participating in a University-School partnership project funded by the National Science Foundation in USA. Data were collected through pre-and post-test questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed by coding the responses to identify recurring themes. Results show that before instruction most fellows held un-informed views on the characteristics of scientific theories and laws, their functions and relationships. However, after the intervention most participants developed better understanding of these concepts. Four types of relationships between scientific laws and theories emerged from participants' responses: discrete, intertwined, concentric, and cyclical. The findings have significant implications for teacher education, science teaching and learning, and training of graduate teaching assistants at the university level.