Nature of Science (NOS) Map for Science Education Instruction: An Overview

The present study aims to explore the inter-relationships within the individual elements or tenets of Nature of Science (NOS), based on the dimensions of scientific knowledge in science learning.

Recent documents on science education reform that place a strong emphasis on NOS diverge from conventional wisdom. Scientific literacy can be significantly impacted by attitudes toward science. According to education theory, attitudes belong in the affective domain while cognitive understanding of the subject matter does not. This study suggests that instruction according to our NOS Flowchart should include the tenets of NOS. There are three major dimensions of learning in science: knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Additionally, it is valuable to introduce students at the primary level to some of the ideas developed by Kuhn. Key aspects of NOS are, in fact, good applications to the history of science through Kuhn’s philosophy. An explicit and reflective tool for science teachers to improve scientific teaching and learning, a NOS Flow Map may thus be a promising way to comprehend the NOS tenets.