DOCTORAL THESIS “THE HISTORY OF SCIENCES IN THE TEACHING OF PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY” ABSTRACT This investigation deals with the role of History of Science in the teaching of Physics and Chemistry and its influence in secondary school pupils’ attitudes and image of Science. Two main hypotheses have been investigated. The first one considers the minor paper usually attributed to History of Science in Science teaching (textbooks, Science teachers’ points of view, pupils’ attitudes and image of Science). Our hypothesis is theoretically based on a critical analysis of the traditional model of Science teaching by verbal transmission of fully elaborated knowledge, a poor teacher training in historical aspects and most research papers showing the influence of these facts in pupils’ wrong conception of nature and evolution of Science. We have designed tests for the analysis of textbooks, to detect teachers’ points of view and to show pupils’ attitudes and image of Science. The results clearly confirm our first hypothesis. Consequently, our second hypothesis aimed with assessment of an alternative proposal considering a historical approach in the teaching of Physics and Chemistry. This hypothesis is based on a constructivistic approach of Science teaching and learning, considering some pupils’ difficulties to understand the evolution of several scientific concepts and the social repercussions of scientific progress. It is also based on a new vision of History of Science considering its social background and a humanistic approach, and several pedagogical advantages like: the help for selection of fundamental topics and main scientific problems with a greater social repercussion, historical crises and scientific controversies, scientific contribution of minorities... We have verified the hypothesis by designing and using several classroom exercises with a historical background. We have compared our experimental pupils’ image of Science and attitudes with the first part pupils used as control sample, by answering the same tests. We have shown our proposal to some groups of teachers and we have asked them for a critical assessment. The results obtained confirm the positive role of a historical orientation in improving pupils’ image of Science and their attitudes towards Science learning and show the good assessment given by teachers. The detailed conclusions wholly confirm our hypothesis and open new perspectives to deep with this trend. Manel Josep Traver i Ribes. October 1996.
1996-10-16
