Historical case studies: Teaching the nature of science in context

In this article I research the use of the historical perspective in the teaching and learning of science. I start from the premise that pupils' understanding of the nature of science is as important as their understanding of current curriculum content. The fact that rigorous assessment of this aspect of science is difficult should not lead science educators to undervalue its importance. The research demonstrates that it is possible to assess qualitatively the effectiveness of historical material in achieving desirable attitudes while simultaneously measuring quantitatively the degree to which this approach influences understanding of the conventional science curriculum. The concept of the atom and the periodic pattern in the atoms of the elements is the subject of a series of historical episodes in which it is clear that human creativity and the power of the imagination lead the way to giant strides in scientific knowledge. By tracing the development of atomic theory from the Greeks to the present day I show that pupils can appreciate that the nature of science itself is in flux. The research involves two parallel groups of 14-year-olds of similar abilities and scientific background. The first group studied a unit in which a substantial amount of historical material was incorporated. The second group studied a unit covering identical scientific content but without any reference to history. The results show that there is no difference in understanding of contemporary science content between the two groups despite my hope that the historical perspective would lead to a firmer grasp of concepts. However, it does allay the fears of those who suspect that the introduction of nonessential curriculum material could weaken pupils' grasp of essentials. In regard to pupils understanding the nature of science I identify several advantages resulting from the historical approach. When pupils see the challenges within their historical context it counteracts the patronizing attitude that many pupils adopt toward past scientists, viewing them, as they do, from their superior vantage point in history. I found that an appreciation of the creative role played by the great scientists of the past was an antidote to the excessive realism and determinism typical of many pupils. Their image of the certainty of scientific knowledge is challenged but they see that the uncertainty of a scientific theory does not necessarily nullify its usefulness in making further progress possible. Finally, I make a case for the historical treatment of theory as a means of demonstrating to pupils that scientific knowledge can range from the highly speculative to the universally accepted and that a critical assessment of any scientific knowledge claim can be made accordingly. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 84:5–26, 2000.