EXPLORING THE LINKS BETWEEN UNKNOWNS, UNCERTAINTY AND EPISTEMOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING IN A MORE AUTHENTIC FORM OF SCHOOL SCIENCE INVESTIGATION

Abstract

This research explored the role a more ‘authentic’ science investigation had on the epistemological understanding of secondary school students. It reviewed the understanding of what is taught within the science curriculum in terms of epistemology and the Nature of Science (NOS) and what may be considered a more authentic activity that more closely aligns with the qualities of professional science, where new knowledge is being formed as compared to what could be seen as conventional science investigations, the repetition of classic experiments. Lessons of 3 different classes, at different schools and in different years were used. An investigation lesson from the school’s curriculum was compared to an investigation where students carried out an investigation on a genuine unknown (the contents of an owl pellet). Latour’s idea of positive and negative modalities was used as an analytical framework to identify differences and the results related to Wenger’s idea of Communities of Practice. The data suggests that a more genuine unknown can provide the opportunity for students to use ideas and language around unknowns and uncertainty which may be beneficial to their epistemological understanding.