| Abstract: | An understanding of current views of the nature of science continues to be regarded as an important outcome of school science. Studies of the conceptions of the nature of science held by primary school teacher education students is therefore important. This article reports the conceptions held by 73 preservice primary teachers. There were elements in the conceptions of the nature of science articulated by this group which clearly were not in accord with modern views. For example, one in five, in many instances, chose responses which would be unacceptable to many modern philosophies of science. Further, many chose 'don't know' as a response to a variety of specific propositions about science, ranging from a low of 1.5% to 3.15% of respondents. The responses of school leavers and mature age students did not differ in any substantial way. In addition, the use of newspaper science reports is described as a novel means to probe conceptions of the nature of science. |
