UNDERSTANDINGS OF ADVANCED STUDENTS ON NATURE OF SCIENCE AND THEIR MOTIVATIONAL STATUS TO LEARN NATURE OF SCIENCE: A TURKISH CASE

In this study, the purpose is to describe advanced students' motivational status to learn Nature of Science (NOS) and their understandings on NOS by using Ranking Questionnaire for “interest” and “importance” and modified version of Views on Nature of Science Questionnaire. The results indicated that the participants did not see NOS as an important subject compared to mathematics, science and social science subjects. Moreover, the participants were more interested in mathematics and science subjects than in NOS subject. The results on NOS understandings also showed that the participants were transitional in terms of “evidence and observation based science” and “subjectivity” while they had informed understandings on “place of imagination and creativity in science”. They were also naïve in terms of “existence of one method in science”, “no hierarchy between theory and law”, “tentativeness” and “difference between observation and inference”. The results explained an important motivational problem to implement any NOS teaching methods to change misunderstandings.