Características del conocimiento científico : creencias de los estudiantes

Resumen

This paper studies the attitudes and beliefs of students from all educational stages about some characteristics of scientific knowledge. These characteristics are the nature of scientific models and classification schemes, the tentativeness in science, the nature of scientific method, the social influence on scientific knowledge and the controversies within the scientific community. The results show complex, diverse, and sometimes contradictory and inconsistent beliefs in students. The nature of schemes, the tentativeness, the method and the explanation of disagreements show high rates of adequate and authentic scientific attitudes, while responses about models and social influences on science seem to be misinformed. From an educational view, this study offers a diagnostic assessment of students’ preconceptions that are a key issue to achieve a significative science learning on the characteristics of scientific knowledge. Also it suggests the necessity of a deeper work on these aspects in school, as a tool to attain scientific literacy for all.