Abstract
This study examined the educational beliefs of David Hawkins, the project leader of the Elementary Science Study in the 1960s, in order to clarify the meaning of scientific inquiry in the context of science education.
As a result, the study reveals the following two points. First, Hawkins believed that the term “elementary” has another important meaning beyond just “easy to start” which curriculum developers have often overlooked. He refers to the complex nature of the “subject matter” which exists in phenomena. At the elementary school level, the curriculum should not be too easy and insubstantial, but instead should provide many essential subjects related to the phenomenon explored during scientific inquiry. As with scientists, it is appropriate to allow children to investigate real phenomena.
Second, Hawkins had strong beliefs regarding the purpose of science education. More specifically, his academic background as a scientific philosopher and his own experiences had a great deal of influence, as he shared the same fate as the physicists who participated in the development of the atomic bomb and the actual bombing, a historic scientific event that has made a significant impact on society. He also warned about the dissociation of science and society.
