Physics

Sociology

Pedagogy

Social science

Science education

Biology

Social environment

Developmental psychology

Paleontology

Psychology

Negotiation

Nature of Science

Scale (ratio)

Context (archaeology)

Quantum mechanics

Social psychology

Adolescence

This study developed a Pupils' Nature of Science Scale, including the subscales of the invented and changing nature of science, the role of social negotiation on science, and cultural context on science, to assess early adolescents' views about the nature of science. More than 6,000 fifth and sixth graders in Taiwan responded to the Scale. The study revealed that the adolescents had quite different perspectives toward different subscales of the nature of science. Moreover, male adolescents tended to express more constructivist-oriented views toward the nature of science than did their female counterparts. The adolescents of different grades and races also displayed varying views toward the nature of science.

An investigation of Taiwanese early adolescents' views about the nature of science.