Chinese Journal of Science Education


Volume 4 No 1, pp. 31-58 (March, 1996)

The Development and Validation of the Understanding of the Nature of Science Scale

LIN Chen-Yung

Abstract

This study aimed to develop an appropriate conceptual scheme for nature of science and, accordingly, construct and validate a proper and reliable instrument for assessing the understanding of the nature of science. The target population of this study was the high school students in the Taipei area, and stratified random sampling and cluster sampling were employed. A total of 42 classes were selected, 1670 samples in the study.

First of all, efforts was concentrated on reviewing main instruments concerning the understanding of the nature of science, and recent research and development in the field of philosophy, history, and sociology of science. Then, this study proposed a scheme of conceptual structure and components. According to the scheme, the study constructed a four-point Likert scale, the Understanding of the Nature of Science (UNOS), and its three subscales, namely, the Nature of Scientific Method subscale (NSM), the Nature of Scientific Knowledge subscale (NSK), and the Nature of Scientific Enterprise subscale (NSE).

The reliability of the UNOS was high. The Cronbach α coefficient was 0.90 for the whole scale, and 0.74, 0.79, and 0.77 for the three subscales. Concurrent validity of the UNOS with SPI, ranged from 0.57 to 0.64. These figures were regarded as moderate high and acceptable. Besides, discriminant validity was held in the study to support the conceptual scheme of three subscales.

The results of the study showed that female students' understanding of the nature of science was significantly better than that of males. Students' understanding of the nature of science did not improve significantly along the promotion of grade in senior high schools, and students with more exposure to science courses got significantly higher understanding of the nature of science than those with less exposure.

Keywords: Nature of Science; Instrument Development

[ Chinese version | Index | Chinese Journal of Science Education | Other Journals | Faculty Home Page | Enquiry ]


Mail any comments and suggestions to en@fed.cuhk.edu.hk.