Abstract:

Scientific models are important thinking tools, which are used to generate explanations and predications. Despite the relevance of scientific models and modelling in science education, several studies reveal that students and teachers do not possess adequate views regarding these topics.

This study investigated prospective elementary teachers’ views about scientific models and modeling.

Research questions included:
(1) what do prospective elementary teachers understand about models and modelling in science?
(2) which factors may explain prospective elementary teachers’ understandings of models and the modeling process in science?

A questionnaire adopted form the literature was applied to a sample of preservice elementary teachers of one Portuguese institution of higher education at 1st, 2nd and 3th years of the course. This questionnaire comprised five aspects of students’ understanding of models and modeling: nature of models, multiple models, purpose of models, testing models, and changing models.

Descriptive analysis showed that a high percentage of preservice elementary teachers hold naive or uninformed understandings of models and modeling. From this we can infer that this lack of understanding would hamper their pedagogical practice related to scientific issues in a fundamental way as well their teaching and learning in their initial formation.

Moreover, students’ understanding of models and modeling didn’t became more elaborated with increasing university years and no difference was found taking in account the area chosen in high school.

Keywords:

Initial teachers training, astronomy, models, nature of science.