Literature review
2. Literature review
Most developed countries have been putting lots of efforts in their education system to generate scientific literate citizens. The call for this need has sounded during recent years, and should be of attention in early childhood education (2-6 years old). Scientifically literate people have sufficient understanding of the nature of science (Akcay and Koc, 2009: 2; Abd El Khalik and Boujaode in Buaraphan, 2009: 189; Mihladiz & Dogan, 2014: 3477). Nature of science has been defined as ‘the epistemology of science, science as a way of knowing, or the values and beliefs inherent to the development of scientific knowledge’ (Abd El Khalik and Lederman in Hacieminoglu, 2014: 1270; Lederman in Akcay and Koc, 2009: 2).
Moreover, scientist and science educators (Abd-El-Khalick et al, Akerson et al, Bell et al., Dickinson et al., Lederman, Meichtry, and Palmer, in Akcay and Koc, 2009: 2; and in Hacieminoglu, 2014: 1270; McComas, Clough & Alamzroa in Buaraphan, 2009: 190-191) Moreover, scientist and science educators (Abd-El-Khalick et al, Akerson et al, Bell et al., Dickinson et al., Lederman, Meichtry, and Palmer, in Akcay and Koc, 2009: 2; and in Hacieminoglu, 2014: 1270; McComas, Clough & Alamzroa in Buaraphan, 2009: 190-191)
Studies on the nature of science have been widely conducted throughout the world in many years in all levels of education, starting from kindergarten through grade 12, especially in more developed countries’ (Lederman, Abd El Khalik, Bell and Schwartz, 2002: 497; Brickhouse, Gallagher, Abd El Khalik et,al, in Hacieminoglu, 2014: 1271; Kaptan & Timurlenk, 2012; Murcia & Schibeci, Abd-El-Khalick & Lederman McComas, Clough & Almazroa, Abd-El- Khalick & BouJaoude in Buaraphan, 2009: 190; and Kavalari, Kakana, Christidou, 2012; Porlan & del Pozo, Da Silva, Mellado, Ruiz in Merino et.al, 2014: 4193; Murnane & Raisen, Dogan and Abd El Khalik in Hacieminoglu, 2014: 1269; Murcia and Schibeci, Kucuk, Liang, et.al, McDonald in Mihlaidz and Dogan, 2014: 3477). These studies revealed that generally teachers have limited understanding regarding the nature of science. Evidences also illustrated
a complex interrelationship between teachers’ understanding about the nature of science and their practical implication in effective science teaching (Abd El Khalik, Lederman, Bell et.al, in Akcay and Koc, 2009: 3; Brickhouse and Gallagher in Hacieminoglu, 2014: 1271; Tsai and Mellado in Mihladiz and Dogan, 2014: 3477).
On the other hand, Kaptan and Timurlenk (2012: 764) provided examples of contradictory facts of how the curriculum demanded a quality science teaching yet teachers could not fulfill the needs. Instead of delivering a meaningful science learning to help learners make link between science content and their daily lives, science in general was taught mainly on dogmatic, authoritarian and extended science context where learners had to accept what their teacher told them as unequivocal, uncontested, and unquestioned facts. This in turn would cause a serious implication on how learners interpreted and applied science meaningfully in the context of personal, social, cultural, and even economic problems (Palmquist and Finley, Lederman, Munby, Zeidler & Lederman, in Buaraphan: 190; Kaptan and Timurlenk, 2012: 764-765). Furthermore, some research results amplified that for learners, understanding the nature of science would help them acquire understanding of science content, grow interest and curiosity about nature in science, and enable them to make decisions in science-related issues (Driver, Leach Miller and Scott in Buaraphan, 2009: 190; Kaptan and Timurlenk, 2012: 764- 765; and Gurses, Dogar, and Yalcin in Mihladiz and Dogan, 2014: 3477).