Science teachers as metascientists: an inductive–deductive dialectic immersion in northern alpine field ecology

Efforts to promote more realistic conceptions about science are often limited by teachers’ inexperience in this domain. In this paper, we describe an ‘inductive–deductive, dialectic immersion’ approach towards assisting teachers in developing more realistic conceptions about science — along with corresponding revised perspectives about science teaching. Three secondary teachers of science with minimal science research experience engaged in a case study of science in action — specifically, in an episode of northern alpine ecological field research. Qualitative data analyzed by constant comparative methods suggested that these teachers shifted along a modernist through postmodernist continuum — as indicated by increased support for a more Naturalist epistemology of science, a more Antirealist ontology of science, and corresponding priorities towards science teaching and learning. Results suggest that teachers of science can develop postmodern views about science and science teaching if given opportunities to induce and deduce propositions about science in realistic cases of science in action.