The Construction of Scientific Method

"The Construction of Scientific Method" - [1.8Mb]

IND's studenterserie nr. 68. Specialerapport. Biologi.

Mathilde Lærke Chrøis, april 2017. 

Vejleder: Marianne Achiam

Abstract

This study is about the interaction between upper secondary school and natural history museum, and has been divided in two parts; the aim of the first part was to investigate the teacher’s purpose of planning a fieldtrip to a museum, and why teachers include the Natural History Museum of Denmark (SNM) as a part of their science teaching in class. The second part aimed to investigate the didactic transposition of scientific method, and how scientific method is perceived by different institutions involved in the teaching process. In order to investigate the first part of the study, interviewing seven teachers visiting SNM, and four museum educators of SNM did this investigation. Using bottom up analysis, the interviews revealed tree themes, and four subthemes. Analyzing literature of the philosophy of science, the curriculum of the basic natural science course (BNSC) issued by the Ministry of Education and official material from SNM using the reference model of scientific method, the second part of the study was investigated. Based on the results from the first part of the study, a total of seven arguments for visiting SNM were identified; connection to curriculum, a supplement for teaching in school, a new experience, engage and motivate students for scientific knowledge, a change of setting, connect theory to real-life experiences and the access to authentic objects. These findings are similar with previous studies, except for the argument of authentic objects. Placing the authentic objects as an independent argument of visiting SNM, makes the objects a more important factor influencing the teachers’ choice of planning a fieldtrip to SNM than in previous studies. Results of the second part of the study indicated that teachers have wide spread perceptions of how to explain scientific method. Moreover, the results showed that the method stated to be taught during the education program at SNM and the actual method used in practice are conflicting. An explanation of this can be that most methods used in education is a blending of inductivism and hypotheticodeductivism, or can be explained by the way science and scientific method is embodied in the curriculum.