THE VIEWPOINTS OF PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS ON THE ESSENTIAL NATURE OF SCIENCE CONCEPTS IN THE SAUDI CONTEXT: A TRIANGULATION APPROACH

This research examines viewpoints held by pre-service science teachers on key concepts of the Nature of Science (NoS) in the Saudi context. Much research in this context emphasises quantitative methods, so this research utilises methodological triangulation to validate the data. Quantitative data was first obtained from 35 pre-service teachers using a method based on the Myths of Science Questionnaire (MOSQ). A qualitative approach was then applied using an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews of ten pre-service teachers, adopted from the Views of Nature of Science questionnaire form C (VNOS-C). The pre-service teachers' perspectives on the NoS were found to be lacking, especially regarding scientific knowledge, scientific methods, and the work of scientists. Furthermore, several respondents failed to consider science as a social enterprise. Suggestions and recommendations are provided to address such misinterpretations and poor scientific understandings, which are likely due to a lack of science philosophy content in educational programmes for teachers.