Whose Science? Interrogating the Foundations of "Nature of Science," Uncovering Epistemic Injustices in Science Education

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

For almost a century, scientists and science educators have argued that it is crucial for students to learn about the assumptions and processes that underlie knowledge construction in science, what some have called the “Nature of Science” (NOS). Drawing heavily on scientists and science studies scholars (sociologists, philosophers, and historians of science) NOS advocates describe universal assumptions that drive science, as well as argue for why NOS is indispensable for the PK-12 science curriculum. In this session, we interrogate the intellectual lineage of those assumptions, paying close attention to the knowledge and ways of knowing that the NOS scholarship systematically included and/or excluded, and debate the impact on furthering epistemic injustices in science classrooms.

Sub Unit

• Division C - Learning and Instruction / Division C - Section 1d: Science

Chair

• Enrique Suárez, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Papers

• Who Appears? Examining the Genealogy of "Nature of Science" and the Authors It Included/Excluded - Enrique Suárez, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

• Unpacking the Status and Place of "Nature of Science" in the Pre-K–12 Science Curriculum - David Stroupe, University of Utah

• The Outsized Influence of "Nature of Science" on How We Position Science Learners - Déana A Scipio, IslandWood

• The Broader Impacts on Science Education of Narrowly Defining "Nature of Science" - Felicia Moore Mensah, Teachers College, Columbia University; Ananda M. Marin, University of California - Los Angeles; D. Teo Keifert, University of North Texas; Christina Krist, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign