The analysis of intermediate phase Natural Sciences workbooks in promoting the nature of science

M.Ed. (Science Education)The nature of science (NOS) remains a problematic construct, which many science teachers do not address in their science teaching. This is owing to an uninformed understanding of the NOS by teachers, who therefore do not include NOS aspects in their science teaching. It is, however, imperative to introduce learners in the Intermediate Phase to NOS elements because it is during this phase that they formally learn science Although there is no specific definition of the NOS, there are guidelines in the framework provided by Chiappetta, Fillman and Sethna on the NOS elements that should be included in science textbooks. The NOS framework for science textbook analysis comprises four themes: Science as a body of knowledge, Science as a way of investigating, Science as a way of thinking and the Interaction among Science, Technology and Society. My study focuses on the analysis of workbooks in the Intermediate Phase Natural Sciences and Technology that were distributed by the South African Department of Basic Education during 2013. These workbooks were distributed as part of the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) in the Intermediate Phase. The workbooks are a combination of textbook and writing book. These workbooks contain ample information about science concept knowledge and colourful illustrations of real life science phenomena. The NOS units of analysis as stipulated in the NOS framework by Chiappetta et al., were identified for the content analysis of science textbooks, in this case science workbooks. As part of the process of content analysis, a qualified science teacher and I analysed the identified pages in each of the six workbooks from Grades 4 to 6. The overall agreement of codes indicated that the NOS themes are substantially covered in the Natural Sciences workbooks, especially the theme Science as a way of investigating and Science as a body of knowledge. The NOS theme Science as a way of thinking receives more coverage than the NOS theme Interaction among Science, Technology and Society. The latter theme was poorly covered in the identified pages of analysis from the six different workbooks. It is suggested that future writing of science textbooks, especially in the Intermediate Phase, should cover all four NOS themes equally. This could assist Intermediate Phase learners in gaining an informed understanding of the nature of science in order to make educated decisions in the scientific enterprise as adults