Museums and science centers are constantly changing scientific environments which exert a lasting positive impact on the society through the popularization of science. One of the most effective strategies employed by these science popularization venues is the organization of scientific exhibitions using scientific devices which are presented to…

Issues associated with nature of science (NOS) have long been recognized as an essential component of scientific literacy. While consensus exists regarding the importance of an explicit reflective approach, precisely how to teach NOS remains elusive. The present study explores one particularly promising approach, namely the use of historical…

Background: In the previous decades many research papers and educational documents have emphasized the importance of the application of history of science in the science education of students. Consequently, chemistry teachers are expected to be familiar with the historical development of science and capable of incorporating historical contents in…

Regular disciplinary instruction of introductory physics at high school often misses a holistic perspective of the subject matter, its structure, and hierarchy. We have considered the domain of classical mechanics as taught at school and provided such a perspective in the form of a summative lecture which frames content in the triadic structure…

The aim of this paper was to investigate chemistry teachers' attitudes towards certain characteristics of the nature of science and history and philosophy of science, and the influence of those views on their teaching practice. The sample comprised 272 chemistry teachers. A questionnaire was used for data collection. Most teachers recognised some…

The Covid-19 pandemic is the reason why humanity is paying more attention to the importance of regular and rigorous handwashing. Interestingly, in the nineteenth century, regular and rigorous handwashing was a key (and controversial) solution proposed by the Hungarian obstetrician Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis to cut drastically cases of puerperal…

This is an account of the three-centuries long journey to the discovery of the link between DNA and the transformation principle of heredity beginning with the discovery of the cell in 1665 and leading up to the 1953 discovery of the genetic code and the structure of DNA. This account also illustrates the way science works and how scientists do…

This article presents the results of an exploratory study of students' knowledge about scientists and countries' contributions to science, aiming at answering two research questions: "In which ways are students aware of the history of scientific development carried out by different people in different places of the world? What can be…

This study documents the mental representations of magnetism constructed by students aged 15-17 and attempts to investigate whether these display the characteristics of models with an inner cohesiveness and constancy; whether they share common features with typical historical models of the Sciences; and whether they evolve through conventional…

This study uses history of science in teaching natural sciences from the early grades. The theoretical framework used is Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), which is a theory with expanding applications in different fields of science. The didactical scenario, in which history of science is used in a CHAT context, refers to Newton's…

This project is the first systematic study of the organizational structure, communications patterns, and archival records of industrial physicists in the U.S., and it provides general guidelines for understanding and documenting their work. The study confirms that the organization and management of industrial R&D is volatile, changing in response…

Presents an historical perspective of astronomy. Discusses how Columbus' discovery of America demonstrated the incompleteness of the ancient knowledge of the world and paved the way for unorthodox astronomical ideas, including the sun-centered cosmology of Copernicus. (MCO)

This guide was prepared as a tool useful for informal education venues (4-H, Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc.), science clubs and related programs, and can be adopted for formal education settings. An exciting and productive study in rocket science can be implemented using the selected activities for the above-mentioned…

Provided are 23 course syllabi representing a broad range of courses taught in the fields of history of technology and technological studies. The collection falls into two major categories. The first section outlines courses dealing primarily with the history of technology, including courses dealing with the history of technology in a Western or…

Uses Columbus' journey to teach science concepts. Reports on a questionnaire for grade 4-8 students (n=279) designed to determine what basic information the students knew about Columbus' journey, peoples' beliefs about the earth at that time, what Columbus discovered, and the effect on Native Americans. Integrated science activities on the size…