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The findings also indicated that teaching photosynthesis should be integrated<br />

with the nature of science. Underst<strong>an</strong>ding the nature of science appears to give the<br />

students <strong>an</strong> incentive to study biology in the classroom.<br />

3. Teaching the Nature of Science<br />

The intervention has contributed to enh<strong>an</strong>ce students’ underst<strong>an</strong>ding of the<br />

nature of science regarding specific ideas. Three aspects of science were considered:<br />

scientific ideas are subjected to ch<strong>an</strong>ge, science dem<strong>an</strong>ds evidence <strong>an</strong>d science is a<br />

complex social activity. The findings from the three case studies indicated that<br />

historical narratives with discussion illuminate the students’ underst<strong>an</strong>ding. In the<br />

case study conducted in the Border School, role play <strong>an</strong>d discussion were used to<br />

illuminate the underst<strong>an</strong>ding of science is a complex social activity, in particular.<br />

After participating in the role play, students appeared to underst<strong>an</strong>d that scientists<br />

could not individually work <strong>an</strong>d scientists used the experimentation to evident the<br />

knowledge. S02 noted that “…the scientist would publish the discovery to adv<strong>an</strong>ce<br />

the knowledge.” S04 noted that “…the scientists continued the previous study <strong>an</strong>d<br />

then found new subst<strong>an</strong>ce involved photosynthesis…” (Table 5.5). Abd-El-Khalick<br />

<strong>an</strong>d Lederm<strong>an</strong> (2000) supported that explicitly addressing the specific ideas about<br />

science might powerfully enh<strong>an</strong>ce the underst<strong>an</strong>ding of the nature of science.<br />

The findings of this research also revealed that the students had a better<br />

underst<strong>an</strong>ding of science as a complex social activity th<strong>an</strong> underst<strong>an</strong>ding that science<br />

dem<strong>an</strong>ds evidence <strong>an</strong>d that scientific ideas are subjected to ch<strong>an</strong>ge. The better<br />

underst<strong>an</strong>ding appears to depend on learning activities teachers provided in<br />

classrooms. Surveys <strong>an</strong>d observations indicated that participating in classroom<br />

discussion <strong>an</strong>d experimentation was useful to underst<strong>an</strong>d that nature of science. On<br />

the other h<strong>an</strong>d, when there were fewer ch<strong>an</strong>ces of discussion, misconceptions related<br />

to scientific ideas subject to ch<strong>an</strong>ce were retained (see case studies of the Market<br />

School <strong>an</strong>d the Babysat School). Skipping all experimentation activities in the<br />

Babysat School possibly caused their students to be unaware that science dem<strong>an</strong>ds<br />

evidence. For example, S10 perceived that scientific knowledge could be ch<strong>an</strong>ged<br />

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