Elementary teachers' views on the nature of science within the framework of the reconceptualized family resemblance approach

The study aimed to examine teachers' views on the nature of science within the framework of the reconceptualized family resemblance approach. The study's participant group consisted of 267 classroom teachers, 106 female, and 161 male, working in various primary schools affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in the 2023-2024 academic year. The researchers collected data using the "Personal Information Form", "Nature of Science Questionnaire" and "Nature of Science Interview Form". The survey data were transferred to the SPSS package program and the necessary analyses were made. As a result, the study determined that elementary teachers' views on the nature of science were at a high level. Opinions on the nature of science did not differ significantly in terms of gender, professional seniority, and grade variables. In the study, interviews were conducted with 28 elementary teachers to reveal the views of elementary teachers on the nature of science in more detail. The data obtained were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. The analysis results showed that elementary teachers had answers that offered original and in-depth information about the nature of science, but some teachers lacked knowledge in this regard. The original answers exhibited a comprehensive understanding of the methods, structure, and functioning of science. Still, teachers with incomplete knowledge had either superficially addressed the basic concepts or displayed misunderstandings. This reveals that teachers had different levels of knowledge and awareness about the nature of science. According to the re-conceptualized family resemblance approach, more extensive research can be conducted to generalize the results obtained for classroom teachers' views on the nature of science. In addition, projects and training can be designed for teachers to eliminate the missing situations regarding the nature of science.