Considering Laboratory Instruction through Kuhn's View of the Nature of Science

• Autores: Daniel S. Domin
• Localización: Journal of chemical education, ISSN 0021-9584, Vol. 86, Nº. 3 (March), 2009, págs. 274-277
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • There is contentiousness about science laboratory instruction that is almost as old as the field itself. From nearly the beginning until today, both the effectiveness and the manner of science laboratory instruction have often been debated. Although there has never been a clear consensus as to what should be taught in the science laboratory and how it should be presented, many agree that the laboratory should be a place where students develop a better understanding of the processes of science. In this opinion piece, I argue that the nature of science can serve as a viable framework from which to base science laboratory instruction and that Kuhn's description of the different phases of science, as presented in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, can serve as an effective foundation when coupled to the styles of instruction historically associated with the science laboratory.