Abstract
The purpose of this study was to analyze science teachers' understanding, judgment, and selection on two teaching materials incorporated with history of Voltaic-cell constructed from different philosophical views. The subjects were 52 high schools science teachers. Two teaching materials were designed which incorporated with history of Voltaic cell in either a. positivistic or postpositivistic views of science. Three questionnaires designed to assess teachers' perspectives of scientific inquiry, the nature of science, and selection to these two teaching materials were developed. The construct and content validities of the teaching materials and questionnaires were examined. After subjects read the two teaching materials and answered three questionnaires, interviews probed into teachers' understanding and judgment of scientific inquiry and nature of science included in their selection of these two teaching materials. The results of this study showed, most of teachers tended to view scientific inquiry and the nature of science from a positivistic view or mixed positivistic/ postpositivistic view. The teaching material incorporating the history of Voltaic cell from the view of postpsitivism appeared to influence teachers' reconstruction of their understanding about scientific inquiry and the nature of science, and therefore upon their selection of teaching materials.
| Keywords: | Teacher Education; Science Instruction; Scientific Inquiry; Nature of Science; History and Philosophy of Science |
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