Description

The principal aim of this book is to describe the
nature of physics teachers conceptions of scientific
evidence. As such, there is a dire need in the
science education literature for studies such as the
one presented in this book. The data from this
study suggest that the three teachers, while
contemplating the reliability and validity of
scientific evidence, frequently used their
conceptions of evidence in conjunction with specific
subject matter conceptions. The data also indicates
that the relationship between subject matter
knowledge and conceptions of evidence was more
pronounced for some conceptions of evidence than for
others. Implications for science teacher education
include the suggestion that science and science
methods courses encourage teachers to conduct
original research and to construct and present
evidence-based arguments from this research for peer
review and critique. This book is ideal for science
teacher educators who work with pre-service or
practicing science teachers in all science disciplines.