This study examined changes in students’ attitudes towards the scientific endeavor by exploring the impact of introducing historical stories and rationales into the science curriculum. The stories referred to discoveries by four scientists: Galvani (the discovery of the electrical current), Fleming (the discovery of penicillin), Archimedes (the discovery of the floating principle), and Kekulé (the discovery of the structure of the benzene ring). The participants comprised 542 Arab students from northern Israel between the ages of 12 and 16. Out of the 542 students, 270 studied a curriculum that included historical stories approach (the experimental group), and 272 studied a curriculum without historical stories approach (the control group). A questionnaire was used to examine the students’ attitudes towards the scientific endeavor. The results provide evidence for the view that relating the story behind the discovery significantly improves students’ attitudes towards science in comparison with those who study according to a traditional approach. The students noticed that certain circumstances must be present in order to enable a scientist to make his discovery. The main conclusion is that the scientific curriculum should include adequate scientific subject matter, integrating historical stories in order to encourage students to develop positive attitudes towards and perceptions of science.
KeywordsApproach towards the Scientific EndeavorHistorical StoriesHistory of ScienceScience Education
Abd-El-Khalick, F. (2002). Rutherford’s Enlarged: A Content-Embedded Activity to Teach about the Nature of Science. Physics Education, 37, 64-68. https://doi.org/10.1088/0031-9120/37/1/309
Abd-El-Khalick, F. (2013). Teaching with and about Nature of Science, and Science Teacher Knowledge Domains. Science & Education, 22, 2087-2107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-012-9520-2
Arons, A. B. (1984). Education through Science. Journal of College Science Teaching, 13, 210-220.
Bloom, B. (1976). Human Characteristics and Student Learning. New York: McGraw Hill.
Brooks, J. G., & Brooks, M. G. (1993). In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Bybee, R. W., Fensham, P. J., & Laurie, R. (2009). Special Issue: Scientific Literacy and Contexts in PISA Science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46, 861-960. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20332
Cachapuz, A. F., & Paixao, M. F. (2005). A Historical Approach to Teaching the Concept of Chemical Elements. School Science Review, 86, 91-94.
Elkanah, Y. (2000). Science, Philosophy of Science and Science Teaching. Science & Education, 9, 463-485.
Erduran, S. (2001). Philosophy of Chemistry: An Emerging Field with Implications for Chemistry Education. Science and Education, 10, 581-593. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017564604949
Erduran, S., Aduriz-Bravo, A., & Mamlok-Naaman, R. (2007). Developing Epistemologically Empowered Teachers: Examining the Role of Philosophy of Chemistry in Teacher Education. Science & Education, 16, 975-989. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-006-9072-4
Eshach, H. (2009). The Nobel Prize in the Physics Class: Science, History and Glamour. Science & Education, 18, 1377-1393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-008-9172-4
Fairbrother, R. W. (2000). Strategies for Learning. In M. Monk, & J. Osborne (Eds.), Good Practice in Science Teaching (pp. 7-24). Philadelphia, PA: Open University.
Graber, W. (2002). Chemistry Education’s Contribution to Scientific Literacy—An Example. In B. Ralle, & I. Eilks (Eds.), Research in Chemical Education—What Does This Mean (pp. 119-128). Aschen: Shake.
Hacieminoglu, E., Ertepinar, H., & Yilmaz-Tuzun, O. (2012). Pre-Service Science Teacher’s Perceptions and Practices Related to History of Sciences Instructions. International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications, 3, 53-59.
Hayes, J. M., & Perez, P. L. (1997). Project Inclusion: Native American Plant Dyes. Chemical Heritage, 15, 38-40.
Hofstein, A., & Lunetta, V. N. (2004). The Laboratory in Science Education: Foundation for the 21st Century. Science Education, 88, 28-54. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.10106
Hofstein, A., & Mamlok-Naaman, R. (2011). High School Student’s Attitudes toward and Interest in Learning Science. Education Quimica, 22, 90-102. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0187-893X(18)30121-6
Hugerat, M., Kortam, N., & Zidane, S. (2011). Students’ Considerations of Archimedes Principle—Use of Historic Introduction in Science Teaching. Electronic Journal of Science Education, 15, 1-10.
Irwin, A. R. (2000). Historical Case Studies: Teaching the Nature of Science in Context. Science Education, 84, 5-26. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-237X(200001)84:1 3.0.CO;2-0
Jenkins, E. W. (2005). Important But Not for Me: Students’ Attitudes towards Secondary School Science in England. Research in Science & Technological Education, 23, 41-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635140500068435
Koballa, T. R., & Glynn, S. M. (2007). Attitudinal and Motivational Constructs in Science Learning. In S. Abell, & N. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Science Education (pp. 75-102). Mahwah, NJ: LEA Publishers.
Koliopoulos, D., Dossis, S., & Stamoulis, E. (2007). The Use of History of Science Texts in Teaching Science: Two Cases of an Innovative, Constructivist Approach. The Science Education Review, 6, 44-56.
Kuhn, T. (1962). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Lederman, N. G. (1992). Students’ and Teachers’ Conceptions of the Nature of Science: A Review of the Research. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29, 331-359. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660290404
Lederman, N. G., Abd-El-Khalick, F., Bell, R. L., & Schwartz, R. S. (2002). Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire: Toward Valid and Meaningful Assessment of Learners’ Conceptions of Nature of Science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39, 497-521. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.10034
Losee, J. (1993). A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Mamlok-Naaman, R. (2011). How Can We Motivate High School Students to Study Science? Science Education International, 22, 5-17.
Mamlok-Naaman, R., Ben-Zvi, R., Hofstein, A., Menis, J., & Erduran, S. (2005). Learning Science through an Historical Approach: Does It Affect Attitudes of Non-Science-Oriented Students towards Science? International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 3, 485-507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-005-0696-7
Mamlok-Naaman, R., Ben-Zvi, R., Menis, J., & Penick, J. E. (2000). Can Simple Metals Be Transmuted into Gold? Teaching Science through a Historical Approach. Science Education International, 11, 33-37.
Monk, M., & Osborne, J. (1997). Placing the History and Philosophy of Science on the Curriculum: A Model for the Development of Pedagogy. Science Education, 81, 405-423. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1098-237X(199707)81:4 3.0.CO;2-G
National Research Council NRC (1996). National Science Education Standards. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
O’Neill, D. K., & Polman, J. L. (2004). Why Educate “Little Scientists?” Examining the Potential of Practice-Based Scientific Literacy. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41, 234-266. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.20001
Oh. P. S., & Yager, R. E. (2004). Development of Constructivist Science Classrooms and Changes in Student Attitudes toward Science Learning. Science Education International, 15, 105-113.
Osborne, J., & Dillon, J. (2008). Science Education in Europe: Critical Reflections. London: The Nuffield Foundation.
Osborne, J., Simon, S., & Collins, S. (2003). Attitude towards Science: A Review of the Literature and Its Implications. International Journal of Science Education, 25, 1049-1079. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069032000032199
Paraskevopoulou, E., & Koliopoulos, D. (2011). Teaching the Nature of Science through the Millikan-Ehrenhaft Dispute. Science & Education, 20, 943-960. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-010-9308-1
Seker, H., & Welsh, L. C. (2006). The Use of History of Mechanics in Teaching Motion and Force Units. Science and Education, 15, 55-89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-005-5987-4
Solomon, J., Duveen, J., & Scot, L. (1992). Teaching about the Nature of Science through History: Action Research in the Classroom. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29, 409-421. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660290408
Stinner, A., MacMillan, B., Metz, D., Jilek, J., & Klassen, S. (2003). The Renewal of Case Studies in Science Education. Science & Education, 12, 617-643. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025648616350
Tobin, K. (1995). Issues of Commensurability in the Use of Qualitative and Quantitative Measures. In the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Research in Science Teaching , San Francisco.
Wang, H. A., & Cox-Petersen, A. M. (2002). A Comparison of Elementary, Secondary, and Student Teachers’ Perceptions and Practices Related to History of Science Instruction. Science and Education, 11, 69-81. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1013057006644
Wang, H. A., & Marsh, D. D. (2002). Science Instruction with a Humanistic Twist: Teachers’ Perception and Practice in Using the History of Science in Their Classrooms. Science and Education, 11, 169-189. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014455918130
Wieder, W. (2006). Science as Story Communicating the Nature of Science through Historical Perspectives on Science. The American Biology Teacher, 68, 200-205. https://doi.org/10.2307/4451967
Wolfensberger, B., & Canella, C. (2015). Cooperative Learning about Nature of Science with a Case from the History of Science. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 10, 865-889.