The inclusion of Key Nature of Science Concepts in Saudi Middle School Science Textbooks

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the NOS (Nature of Science) inclusion in Saudi middle school science textbooks. To be specific, this study examines the included NOS aspects, the frequency of NOS inclusion; the contexts exist for NOS inclusion, and the accuracy of NOS inclusion. This study utilizes the Master Aspects of Nature ofScience [MA-NOS], which includes 12 NOS aspects that ought to be included in K-12 science curriculum. To facilitate the content analysis of the selected textbooks, the study utilized a modified version of The Collection Data Coding Guide developed by Alshamrani; and includes six parts describing the aspects of NOS and the process of identifying and collecting data. The findings of this study indicated low inclusions of NOS aspects in the textbooks; it also revealed that not all NOS aspects are included