Promoting secondary school student's understanding of the nature of science through quantum physics education

Abstract

Prior research has suggested quantum physics may be a natural physical context to foster student understanding of the nature of science. However, it remains unclear whether students are able to translate their new profound views into profound arguments, although this skill is essential for scientific literacy. During and at the conclusion of a QP period, data was collected on the NOS understanding of two Dutch secondary school groups of 24 students each (ages between 16-18 years). The two groups had different teachers but followed the same textbook. Data was was analyzed within two different frameworks in order to investigate not only the declared NOS views, but also the argumentative resources of students. Data collection included lesson observations, written work throughout the period, and an open-ended questionnaire with supple menting semi-structured interviews at the end of the period. The results suggest that even though during the period of QP many students indeed declared profound views on the nature of science in the context of quantum physics, students still frequently resort to naive ways of arguing to justify these views. Furthermore, new and profound views on the nature of science appeared to be limited to the context of quantum physics.