Teachers' perceptions of HIV/AIDS in relation to understandings of the nature of science

This study investigates the perceptions of the cause of AIDS of two cohorts of in-service teachers. These teachers were registered for a part-time, in-service BEd (Science and Mathematics) programme. After completion of modules on the biology of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), social issues around acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and the nature of science (NOS), they took part in small group discussions on the causes of AIDS within a framework of their understandings of the NOS. The teachers exhibited awareness of the current debate in South Africa around HIV and AIDS and were able to articulate and apply their understandings of the nature of science to the context of HIV/AIDS in terms of falsification and verification of theories, the social aspects of the NOS, paradigmatic thought, the tentative nature of science and the nature of scientific knowledge production. However, many of the teachers in this study said that they did not use the NOS to frame arguments on the causes of AIDS in their classrooms because they believe the notion that scientific knowledge is tentative would detract from their primary message that ‘AIDS kills’.