Teaching about Scientific Models in a Science Content Course

Abstract

Scientists construct and use models as part of scientific inquiry. Thus, learners should be knowledgeable about what scientific models are, how they are developed, and how they are used by scientists. This paper describes the instruction and effectiveness of teaching about the nature of scientific models in the context of an undergraduate science course for future elementary and middle school teachers. Multiple representations are used to teach biological phenomena while drawing explicit attention to the development and use of models in the scientific community and in science teaching. Results indicate participants initially considered models to be physical representations of objects to be visualized, the process scientists use to do an experiment, and a chart scientists use to record data. Posttests indicate increased recognition of models as representations of scientists’ ideas and explanations of processes. Despite explicit instruction, few came to understand the role of models in making and testing predictions.