This qualitative research aims to identify student teachers' conceptions of scientists and the factors that shape the development of science and technology. These factors include economy, society, war, religion, glory, wealth, and fraud. To investigate these conceptions, a multiple-choice questionnaire was given to 180 student teachers. In this questionnaire, participants were asked to agree, disagree, or indicate uncertainty regarding statements about these factors, and to explain their answers. The statements were divided into six themes: 1) image of the scientist, 2) development of science and technology during war, 3) political and economic influences on science, 4) image projected by scientists, 5) objectives of science (truth, reality, nature), and 6) impact of science and technology on the environment and people. Through analysis, the research revealed several conceptions arising from misunderstandings of the relationships among science, technology, and society. For instance, several participants shared views such as: 1. A scientist must exclude any recourse to his religious convictions in the development of his thinking, 2. A scientist is motivated by the search for truth, and 3. The development of science poses threats to the environment, such as global warming. These conceptions among teachers in training are particularly relevant for developing teaching strategies in educational science programs, where teachers will compare them with views of contemporary historians and epistemologists.

Authors:
Abdeljalil Métioui, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

About the Presenter(s)
Abdeljalil Métioui, a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal. His research interests are diverse, including the history of science in teaching and learning science, students’ and teachers’ alternative conceptions in teaching and learning.

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Abdeljalil_Metioui

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

Bookmark