Nature of science in science education: A proposal based on 'themes'

This theoretical analysis addresses some issues related to knowledge about science in science education, in general, and in physics education, in particular. We point out the existence of a “consensus view” about Nature of Science (NOS) in science education research literature. Then we argue that: 1) despite its relevance to science teaching, the “consensus view” hides some important divergences that should not be overlooked. In particular, we challenge the idea of the existence of a consensus, showing that there are different routes, terminologies, starting points and conclusions when we analyse literature elaborating this “consensus”; 2) there are some problematic statements in the “consensus view”; and 3) taken (1) and (2) into account, we suggest a more open, pluralistic and heterogeneous approach to deal with the knowledge about science in school science curriculum.