THE IMPACT OF REQUIRED READINGS AND DISCUSSIONS OF PHILOSOPHICAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN INTRODUCTORY COLLEGE SCIENCE COURSES ON THE STUDENT'S UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE (TECHNOLOGY, TEACHER-TRAINING)

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of required readings and discussions of philosophical and ethical issues on the understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge by students taking introductory college science courses.; Methods and Procedures. The population of this study was the body of students in introductory science courses for nonscience majors at West Georgia College. The sample for the study consisted of students enrolled in introductory two-quarter sequences in biology (N = 108), geology (N = 45), and natural science (N = 32). The instructional approach in the biology sequence differed from that utilized in the geology and natural science sequences in that students in the biology sequence were required to have special readings and discussions concerning philosophical and ethical issues in biology. At the end of the first quarter, the analysis of the Nature of Scientific Knowledge Scale test scores indicated significant differences in favor of the biology students. Therefore, during the second quarter the biology students were separated into two groups. One group of 78 students (the experimental group) was taught under an instructional treatment involved readings plus discussions of philosophical and ethical issues in biology, while the control group of 30 students had readings only.; Results. (1) There was a statistically significant difference among the three groups (biology, geology, and natural science) as measured by the NSKS. Biology posttest scores (adjusted means) were significantly higher than geology scores but not significantly greater than natural science scores. (2) Analysis of data for biology (readings plus discussions), biology (readings only), and natural science groups showed no significant difference among the groups. Although the mean of the experimental group was higher than the mean of the control group and of the natural science group, the differences were not statistically significant.; Conclusions. The findings of this study seemed to warrant the following conclusions. (1) There may be significant differences in students' acquisition of an understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge with respect to the science field studied by the student. (2) The particular instructional treatment (specifically the use of readings and/or discussions of philosophical and ethical issues in biology) did not significantly affect the student's acquisition of an understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge.