Chinese Journal of Science Education


Vol. 16 No. 2 , Pages 125 - 146 , 2008

A Study of the Uses of the Interactive Historical Vignettes in College Liberal Science Education (Article written in Chinese)

Ke-Sheng CHAN

Abstract

This study explores how the Interactive Historical Vignettes (IHVs) can be infused into existing college liberal science courses to help students recognize that scientific knowledge is created rather than discovered by humans and thereby enhance their understanding of the creative nature of science (NOS). To accomplish this goal, the author first developed an IHV-enriched, historically oriented liberal science course based on his past research findings. He then conducted a pair of specially designed teaching experiments to evaluate the impact of this new course on students’ NOS views and clarify the exact nature of the dynamic interplay of the creative and testable NOS conceptions in students’ mind. Results confirm that there is indeed a negative, seesawing-at-a-distance type of interconnection between the creative and testable NOS conceptions in participating students’ conceptual ecology.

Keywords: interactive historical vignettes; nature of science; conceptual change

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