Abstract
Practical work is a distinctive feature of school science and has close associations with scientific experiment and scientific methods as well. In this study, the nature of practical work was examined in the view of the diversity of scientific methods. Based on an analytical framework derived from Brandon’s matrix consisting of four categories of scientific methods, this study was purported to understand how the diversity of scientific methods is represented in practical work in science textbooks. The targets of analysis were various kinds of practical work compiled in nine textbooks of biology, chemistry, and physics used in the stage of junior high school (Grades 7–9) in China. A major finding is that the four categories of scientific methods are distributed discrepantly within each of the three subject-based science textbooks. Another important finding is that non-manipulative parameter measurement (NPM) is the predominant scientific method, whether in physics, chemistry, or biology textbooks. Except for this shared feature, the percentages of the other three are varied across the three science subjects. The results of this study have provided implications for the design of practical work in science textbooks. It is suggested that further studies can be conducted to display the change of the nature of practical work over a period of time and compare the nature of practical work in science textbooks used in different regions and countries in the view of the diversity of scientific methods.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abd-El-Khalick, F., Waters, M., & Le, A. P. (2008). Representations of nature of science in secondary school chemistry textbooks over the past four decades. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45, 835–855.
Abrahams, I., & Millar, R. (2008). Does practical work really work? A study of the effectiveness of practical work as a teaching and learning method in school science. International Journal of Science Education, 30(14), 1945–1969.
Aldahmash, A. H., Mansour, N. S., Alshamrani, S. M., & Almohi, S. (2016). An analysis of activities in Saudi Arabian middle school science textbooks and workbooks for the inclusion of essential features of inquiry. Research in Science Education, 46(6), 879–900.
Bauer, H. (1994). Scientific literacy and the myth of the scientific methods. University of Illinois Press.
Binns, I. C., & Bell, R. L. (2015). Representation of scientific methodology in secondary science textbooks. Science & Education, 24(7), 913–936.
Blachowicz, J. (2009). How science textbooks treat scientific methods: A philosopher’s perspective. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 60(2), 303–344.
Brandon, R. (1994). Theory and experiment in evolutionary biology. Synthese, 99, 59–73.
Bybee, R. W., & Ben-Zvi, N. (1998). Science curriculum: Transforming goals to practices. In B. J. Fraser & K. J. Tobin (Eds.), International Handbook of Science Education (pp. 487–498). Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Cleland, C. (2001). Historical science, experimental science, and the scientific methods. Geology, 29, 987–990.
Cleland, C. (2013). Common cause explanation and the search for smoking gun. In V. R. Baker (Ed.), Rethinking the fabric of geology: Geologic Society of America Special Paper 502 (pp. 1–9). Geologic Society of America.
Cullinane, A., Erduran, S., & Wooding, S. J. (2019). Investigating the diversity of scientific methods in high-stakes chemistry examinations in England. International Journal of Science Education, 41(16), 2201–2217.
Debus, A. G. (1978). Man and nature in the renaissance. Cambridge University Press.
Decker, T., Summers, G., & Barrow, L. (2007). The treatment of geological time and the history of life on earth in high school biology textbooks. The American Biology Teacher, 69, 401–405.
Deng, Z. (2007). Knowing the subject matter of a secondary - school science subject. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 39(5), 503–535.
Dewey, J. (1910). How we think. Lexington, MA: D.C. Heath.
Dodick, J., Argamon, S., & Chase, P. (2009). Understanding scientific methodology in the historical and experimental sciences via language analysis. Science & Education, 18(8), 985–1004.
Duschl, R. A., Schweingruber, H. A., & Shouse, A. W. (Eds.). (2007). Taking science to school: Learning and teaching science in grades K-8 (Vol. 500). National Academies Press.
El Masri, Y. H., Erduran, S., & Ioannidou, O. (2021). Designing practical science assessments in England: Students’ engagement and perceptions. Research in Science & Technological Education, 1–21.
Erduran, S., & Dagher, Z. (2014). Reconceptualizing the nature of science for science education: Scientific knowledge, practices and other family categories. Dordrecht: Springer.
Gericke, N. M., & Hagberg, M. (2010). Conceptual incoherence as a result of the use of multiple historical models in school textbooks. Research in Science Education, 40(4), 605–623.
Goodson, I. F., & Marsh, C. J. (1996). Studying school subjects: A guide (pp. 69–83). Falmer.
Gray, R. (2014). The Distinction between experimental and historical sciences as a framework for improving classroom Inquiry. Science Education, 98(2), 327–341.
Gu, M. (2021). The People Education Press and me: 65 years. Curriculum, Teaching Materials & Teaching Methods, 41(2), 4–5. (in Chinese).
Hodson, D. (1988). Experiment in science and science teaching. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 20(2), 53–66.
Hodson, D. (1993). Re-thinking old ways: Towards a more critical approach to practical work in school science. Studies in Science Education, 22, 85–142.
Hodson, D. (1996). Laboratory work as scientific methods: Three decades of confusion and distortion. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 28(2), 115–135.
Hodson, D. (2014). Learning science, learning about science, doing science: Different goals demand different learning methods. International Journal of Science Education, 36(15), 2534–2553.
Hofstein, A., Kipnis, M., & Abrahams, I. Z. (2013). How to learn in and from the chemistry laboratory. In A. Hofstein & I. Eilks (Eds.), Teaching chemistry – A studybook (pp. 153–182). Rotterdam: Sense.
Ioannidou, O., & Erduran, S. (2021). Beyond hypothesis testing: investigating the diversity of scientific methods in science teachers’ understanding. Science & Education, 30(2), 345-364.
Irzik, G., & Nola, R. (2014). New directions for nature of science research. In M. Matthews (Ed.), International handbook of research in history, philosophy and science teaching (pp. 999–1021). Springer.
Jones, M. E., Gott, R., & Jarman, R. (2000). Investigations as part of the key stage 4 science curriculum in Northern Ireland. Evaluation and Research in Education, 14(1), 23–37.
Ma, Y., Wang, T., Wang, J., Chen, A. L. R., & Yan, X. (2019). A comparative study on scientific inquiry activities of Chinese science textbooks in high schools. Research in Science Education, 1–21.
Matthews, M. R. (2014). Science teaching: The contribution of history and philosophy of science. Routledge.
McComas, W. F. (1998). The principle elements of the nature of science: Dispelling the myths. In W. McComas (Ed.), The nature of science and science education: Rationales and strategies (pp. 53–70). Kluwer Academic.
National Research Council (NRC). (1996). National science education standards. Author.
National Research Council (NRC). (2012). A science framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core Ideas. The National Academies Press.
Niaz, M., & Maza, A. (2011). Nature of science in general chemistry textbooks Nature of science in general chemistry textbooks (pp. 1–37). Dordrecht: Springer.
Osborne, J. (2015). Practical work in science: Misunderstood and badly used? School Science Review, 96, 16–24.
Rudolph, J. L. (2005). Epistemology for the masses: The origins of ‘“the scientific methods”’ in American schools. History of Education Quarterly, 45, 341–376.
Stemler, S. (2001). An overview of content analysis. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 7(17), 137–146.
Tiberghien, A., Veillard, L., Le Maréchal, J. F., Buty, C., & Millar, R. (2001). An analysis of labwork tasks used in science teaching at upper secondary school and university levels in several European countries. Science Education, 85(5), 483–508.
Turner, D. (2013). Historical geology: Methodology and metaphysics. In V. R. Baker (Ed.), Rethinking the fabric of geology: Geological Society of America special paper 502 (pp. 11–18). Geological Society of America.
Wei, B. (2012). Chemistry curriculum reform in China: Policy and practice. In H. Yin & Lee, C. J. (Eds.), Curriculum reform in China: Changes and challenges (pp. 95–109). Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Wei, B., & Chen, Y. (2020). The meaning of ‘experiment’ in the intended chemistry curriculum in China: The changes over the period from 1952 to 2018. International Journal of Science Education, 42, 656–674.
Wivagg, D., & Allchin, D. (2002). The dogma of ‘the’ scientific methods. The American Biology Teacher, 69(9), 645–646.
Woodcock, B. A. (2014). “The scientific methods” as myth and ideal. Science & Education, 23, 2069–2093.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wei, B., Jiang, Z. & Gai, L. Examining the Nature of Practical Work in School Science Textbooks: Coverage of the Diversity of Scientific Methods. Sci & Educ 31, 943–960 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-021-00294-z
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-021-00294-z