Analyzing Preservice Biology Teachers’ Nature of Science Reflection Skills in a 360° Lab Environment

Reflection on the Nature of Science (NOS) is a central goal of science education, as it enables learners to evaluate scientific knowledge and make informed decisions. Teachers’ understanding of NOS is crucial for effective instruction; however, research consistently shows that it remains limited. In this study, we used a 360° environment from a Nobel Prize-winning laboratory to investigate preservice biology teachers’ ( N = 19) reflections on NOS, drawing on the Family Resemblance Approach (FRA) and the skills of reflection proposed by Atkins and Murphy (1993). Qualitative interview findings indicated that reflection is recognized in both the cognitive-epistemic and social-institutional system dimensions of the FRA, particularly regarding animal experimentation. Moreover, all skills of reflection were identified with reference to FRA categories in the interviews. This study demonstrates how Atkins and Murphy’s (1993) model can be applied to analyze preservice teachers’ NOS reflections and offers insights into fostering reflective NOS understanding in teacher education. From a theoretical perspective, this study provides a novel lens for analyzing NOS reflection and conceptualizes it as an epistemic competence.