The effect of metacognitive strategies embedded in contextualized nature of science instruction on preservice science teachers' understandings of nature of science and the retention of these understandings

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of metacognitive strategies embedded in explicit-reflective nature of science instruction contextualized in relation to two relatively unfamiliar contexts on preservice science teachers' understandings of nature of science (NOS). Pretest, posttest control group true design was used to assess a total of 65 preservice science teachers' NOS understandings. Data were collected through Views of Nature of Science Questionaire (VNOS-C) developed by Lederman et al. (2002) and Views of Nature of Scientific Knowledge Questionaire developed by Özcan (2011). Data collected by VNOS-C were qualitatively analysed according to a rubric put forward by Jones (2010), while the data collected by the other were analysed quantitatively. At the outset of NOS instruction, participants were completely randomized into groups called intervention group (N:33) and control group (N:32). Participants in the intervention group were made to use additional metacognitive strategies together with contextualized NOS instruction compared to those in the control group solely involved in contextualized NOS instruction. In the study, contextualized NOS instruction included both generic NOS activities as noncontextualized instruction and socioscientific issues as contextualized instruction. These activities were supported by the use of actual reading texts about science in the context of science content. Additionally, socioscientific issues were used as inner context in order participants to gain deeper understandings of nature of science in subsequent two weeks. The other context was philosophy of science (POS) as an outer context. Discussions related to POS were moderated by the researcher in the exclusive sessions. In these sessions, both control and intervention groups participated in the reading texts related to history/philosophy of science had a chance to discuss their views with their possible improved NOS understandings. The discussions were then proceeeded by participants in both groups putting forward the views belong to their own philosophers in the philosophy of science. Metacognitive strategies utilized in the intervention group were divided into two parts each of called as inner and outer of courses. Reflection papers related to actual reading texts, KWL forms and mind maps were inner metacognitive strategies; while metacognitive course of action, posters about philosophers in philosophy of science and dramatization about philosophers of science were in outer context. These strategies helpful for gaining deeper NOS understandings were integrated into highly-contextualized NOS instruction. Results showed that initially participants in both groups held many naïve NOS understandings of all NOS aspects. Viewing quantitative data, there was a statistically significant difference between on behalf of intervention group in terms of three NOS aspects including inferential, sociocultural and theory-law (p<0.05). This difference is also valid for the whole questionaire on behalf of intervention group. Consequently, it was concluded that metacognitive strategies embedded in contextualized explicit-reflective NOS instruction was more influential than contextualized explicit-reflective NOS instruction. Qualitative analysis showed that contextualized explicit-reflective NOS instruction is influential especially in the aspects of theory-laden and sociocultural in the control group. There was no increase in informed NOS understandings related to the aspects of inferential and empirical. However, none of these increases were more than 15%. Participants in the intervention group improved their informed understandings in terms of tentativeness (+43.750), creativeness (+37.500) and theory-law (+21.875). These increases were higher compared to those gained in the control group. This result might be associated with; participants joined in the discussions of reading texts from history/philosophy of science with new perspectives belong to philosophers of science, performed a drama about the philosophers of science and finally used metacognitive course of action. In addition, participants in the intervention group used KWL forms, drew mind maps. These strategies also might have an effect on these increases. Findings from retention test showed that the highest decrease was in the sociocultural aspect of NOS (-21.21) in the control group, compared to post tests. However, empirical and inferential aspects were retained. In addition, participants in the intervention group experienced the highest decrease (-15.625) in creativeness aspect of NOS. Findings from both quantitative and qualitative analysis showed that participants in the intervention group improved their NOS understandings mostly in sociocultural NOS aspect compared to those in the control group. Rather, participants in the intervention group decreased their naïve NOS understandings (50%) and increased their informed NOS understandings (+15.625) in terms of inferential aspect having a statistically significant difference in quantitative analysis of post test. Consequently, it might be concluded that metacognitive strategies embedded in contextualized explicit-reflective NOS instruction is effective improving informed NOS understandings. Key Words: Metacognition, Metacognitive Strategies, Nature of Science, Contextualized Explicit-Reflective Nature of Science Instruction, Philosophy of Science, Socioscientific Issues