Abstract
Increasingly widespread agreement exists that the nature of science (NOS) must be an integral element of the K-12 science curriculum with emerging consensus on what specific NOS elements should be the focus of such instruction. In this study reported, eight recent trade books written by NOS experts addressing the nature of science for the general public were examined to locate the historical examples included. These historical vignettes were extracted and analyzed to determine the kinds of examples used and the focus of the science discipline from which the example comes. The analysis has revealed that these authors have collectively provided approximately 80 historical vignettes in fields ranging from astronomy to physics, with some cited repeatedly from one book to another. In addition, the entire set of examples was then linked to important NOS notions providing an instructional resource for use by teachers, textbook writers and curriculum developers.
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McComas, W.F. Seeking historical examples to illustrate key aspects of the nature of science. Sci & Educ 17, 249–263 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-007-9081-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-007-9081-y