Research on teaching the history of science through an interdisciplinary approach

The main aim of this research is to evaluate the contribution of teaching the history of science with an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the nature of science among science teachers. In addition to this aim, the study also examined the contribution of the practices carried out within the research scope to participants' knowledge levels in the history of science, their perspectives on the instructional value of the history of science, their comprehension of scientific concepts, their technological competencies, and their general knowledge. Designed as a convergent parallel mixed-methods study to achieve this aim, this research took place within the scope of the course, ' Historical Development of Scientific Thoughts', lasting for one semester. Implicit and history of science approaches were adopted in teaching the nature of science. Twelve science teachers participated in the research. Quantitative and qualitative data collection tools were applied before and after the implementation of the study. Quantitative data collection tools included the Reconceived Nature of Science Scale, the Instructional Value of Science History Scale, and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Scale. Qualitative data collection tools comprised semi-structured interviews, an open-ended questionnaire on 'How does a scientist conduct research?', a table for collecting knowledge level about era and civilizations of history of science, an Associated Scientists Word Cloud to detect interactions among scientists, a World Silent Map, and a Same Period Occurrences Information Form to determine awareness of events occurring in the recent past. Participants prepared documentaries based on a chosen scientist and the historical development of a scientific concept according to predefined criteria within the scope of the course. According to the t-test results, there was a significant difference between pre-test and post-test total scores in the Reconceived Nature of Science Scale. Significant differences were found only in the Scientific Practices sub-dimension of the scale. No significant differences were found in the dimensions of Purpose and Values, Method and Methodological Rules, Scientific Knowledge, Social and Institutional Aspects, and Educational Practices. However, qualitative analysis revealed that participants developed understandings of all dimensions. Furthermore, the analyses of the applications conducted within this course positively influenced participants' knowledge levels in the history of science. Additionally, the t-test analysis of the results from the Instructional Value of Science History Scale, a quantitative data source, found significant results favoring the post-test. Interview findings also indicated that participants appreciated the inclusion of science history in the curriculum. It was concluded that participants held positive views regarding understanding scientific concepts through the method of science history. The analyses indicated that both quantitative TPACK and qualitative interviews showed an increase in participants' technological competencies. Moreover, through the interviews, it was observed that interdisciplinary practices of the science history course enhanced participants' general cultural knowledge and facilitated gains in conducting literature reviews, conducting research in libraries, and scriptwriting, among other skills.