A Comparative Study of Perceptions on the Nature of Science by Korean Primary School Teachers and Secondary School Science Teachers

抄録

This study was carried out to clarify the perception of the Nature of Science (NOS) about Korean primary school teachers and secondary school science teachers. Two hundred twenty-nine primary school teachers and 63 secondary school science teachers (31 lower secondary and 32 upper secondary school science teachers) in Korea were involved, and a 5-level Likert scale questionnaire with a total of 16-items was used. The items were analyzed by factor analysis with promax rotation, and the results of factor analysis and comparison were as follows: (1) The primary school teachers and the secondary school science teachers were found to recognize the same factors such as 'tentativeness', 'empirical basis', 'subjectivity', and 'creativity' about NOS. (2) In comparison of the four factors of NOS, the tentativeness factor and the subjectivity factor revealed significantly higher mean values than the empirical basis factor and the creativity factor in Korean two teacher groups. (3) In comparison of the Korean two teacher groups, the empirical basis factor in the primary school teacher, and the tentativeness factor in the secondary school science teacher revealed significantly higher factor mean values. The perception of the same factors about NOS in two Korean teacher groups is due to the same aims of science in Korean National Science Curriculum. The difference of factor mean value about NOS in the Korean teacher groups shows that they consider the aspects of cognitive development of students in science classes.