Transcending simple forms of school science investigations: Can pre-service instruction foster teachers' understandings of model-based inquiry

This study examined 21 preservice secondary teachers as they engaged in activ-ities aimed at fostering an understanding of the epistemic roles that models, the-ory, and argument play in scientific inquiry. Findings indicate that instruction can help preservice teachers develop more sophisticated understandings of sci-entific models and promote incorporation of model-based lessons in their class-rooms. However, even with scaffolding, the majority of these preservice teachers were unable to use theoretical models to ground their own empirical investiga-tions. Two factors shaped participants ’ thinking about these inquiries. One was previous school-related research experience, which influenced not only what they recognized as models but also the way they believed models could be incor-porated into inquiry. The other was a widely held simplistic view of “the scien-tific method ” that constrained the procedures and epistemic frameworks they used for investigations. On the basis of these findings, the authors offer a more focused, evidence-based design for instruction around model-based inquiry