The “general aspects” conceptualization as a pragmatic and effective means to introducing students to nature of science

Teaching about nature of science (NOS) is considered as an important goal of science education in various countries. Extensive empirical research about how some aspects of NOS can be effectively taught is also available. The most widely adopted conceptualization of NOS is based on a small number of general aspects of NOS, which fall into two groups: aspects of the nature of scientific knowledge (NOSK) and aspects of scientific inquiry (SI). This conceptualization of NOS will be described in this article as the “general aspects” conceptualization of NOS. Proponents of this conceptualization have concluded from empirical research that particular general aspects of NOS can be effectively taught at various K-12, undergraduate, and teacher preparation courses. Yet, this conceptualization has been criticized as being insufficient and even as misrepresenting science. Critics suggest that a more complete picture of science should be communicated to teachers and students, rather than a list of general aspects of NOS. In this article, I suggest that the “general aspects” conceptualization of NOS provides an effective starting point for teaching about NOS and for addressing students’ preconceptions about science. Once this is done, teaching could include more complex aspects and attend simultaneously to multiple contexts, as the critics suggest. This might be achieved along a learning pathway, in which the “general aspects” conceptualization of NOS might nicely pave the way for the “family resemblance” conceptualization of NOS, espoused by several of the critics because of explicit continuities between them. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 53: 667–682, 2016