The inclusion of the nature of science in Turkish science curriculum

Abstract

The Reconceptualized Family Resemblance Approach to Nature of Science (RFN) is a comprehensive approach that consists of the cognitive-epistemic and social institutional systems of science (Erduran & Dagher, 2014a; Kaya & Erduran, 2016a). The purpose of the study is to examine the inclusion of the Nature of Science (NOS) in the Turkish science curriculum from the RFN perspective. Another purpose of the study is to investigate science teachers‟ views of the RFN and science curriculum. The Turkish science curriculum that was implemented in 2018 by the National Ministry of Education and used in the levels of primary school and middle school is the main data source of the study. The science curriculum was analyzed by content analysis. Furthermore, the participants of the study are 10 science teachers that were selected by purposive sampling. The semi- structured interview protocol and the RFN Questionnaire that was developed by Kaya et al. (2019) were applied to the science teachers. The data that comes from the interviews and the questionnaire were analyzed by thematic analysis and descriptive statistics, respectively. The findings of the study showed that the Turkish science curriculum refers more to the cognitive-epistemic system of science than the social institutional system of science. The category of scientific practices has the highest code frequency, while the category of political power structures has the least code frequency in the science curriculum. Science teachers‟ RFN understanding levels were found moderate and high according to the RFN Questionnaire. However, in the interviews, it was realized that participants exhibit naïve views and limited knowledge about some RFN categories. The science teachers suggested that NOS should be integrated to the science curriculum more and sources about NOS should be increased. This study has implications for the inclusion of the RFN in the science curriculum and the integration of the RFN in the teacher- training.