Volume 05 Issue 11-2024
83
CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PEDAGOGICS
(ISSN
–
2767-3278)
VOLUME
05
ISSUE
11
Pages:
83-87
OCLC
–
1242041055
Publisher:
Master Journals
ABSTRACT
In developed European countries, the content of Natural Science (Science) has played a significant role in national
curricula over the past thirty years. Understanding the concept of Natural Science (Science) content, which is an
important component of scientific literacy and integrates natural sciences, history of science, sociology of science,
and philosophy of psychology, is essential for teachers and students to be scientifically literate. This understanding
involves a combination of key structures of scientific activity and the knowledge of natural science, which are
necessary for scientific literacy [1,2,3].
KEYWORDS
Natural sciences, history of science, sociology of science, and philosophy of psychology.
INTRODUCTION
Today, in response to the demands of the modern
world, there is a shift in the approach to teaching
natural sciences, moving from the study of each
subject individually to an integrated system. This
integration of knowledge in natural sciences has
become the foundational concept of the subject itself.
This trend is evident not only globally but also in our
own country.
In our country, work on developing the national
curriculum began in 2020. On May 11, 2022, the
President of the Republic of Uzbekistan signed Decree
No. 134 on 'Approval of the National Program for the
Development of Public Education for 2022-2026.'
According to part 3, item 'a' of this decree, the full
implementation of the National Curriculum in the
educational process is to be completed by September
Research Article
NATURAL SCIENCE TEXTBOOK AND THE CURRENT PREPAREDNESS
OF TEACHERS IN TEACHING THIS SUBJECT
Submission Date:
November 08, 2024,
Accepted Date:
November 13, 2024,
Published Date:
November 18, 2024
Crossref doi:
https://doi.org/10.37547/pedagogics-crjp-05-11-17
Barno Abdulhaqovna Amirullayeva
A. Avloniy National Institute of Pedagogical Mastery, researcher, Uzbekistan
Journal
Website:
https://masterjournals.
com/index.php/crjp
Copyright:
Original
content from this work
may be used under the
terms of the creative
commons
attributes
4.0 licence.
Volume 05 Issue 11-2024
84
CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PEDAGOGICS
(ISSN
–
2767-3278)
VOLUME
05
ISSUE
11
Pages:
83-87
OCLC
–
1242041055
Publisher:
Master Journals
1, 2024. This includes the creation of textbooks,
exercise books, and teaching manuals for grades 3, 6,
7, and 10 by the end of 2022, and for grades 4, 5, 8, 9,
and 11 during the 2023-2024 academic year.
In this regard, starting from the 2022-2023 academic
year, the teaching of Natural Science (Science) in grade
6 was implemented based on the national curriculum.
The main goal of teaching Natural Science (Science) is
to develop students' ability to analyze natural
processes and phenomena, to form a systematic and
integrated approach to understanding them, and to
establish a general scientific methodology for studying
the natural sciences, with the aim of shaping a unified
scientific worldview.
Literature Review
Natural Science (Science) teachers have been striving
to teach the content of the subject in their lessons.
Despite these efforts, science teachers have not
reached a consensus on understanding the essence of
the subject. This is because the concepts related to the
nature of science, as well as our perceptions and views
of science, are constantly changing and developing.
Komas and Olson consider natural science (Science) as
a field where various disciplines intersect, such as
philosophy of science, history of science, sociology of
science, and psychology of science [2]. According to
Ledermann, the content of natural science (Science) is
“'...the epistemolo
gical method of knowing science, or
the values and beliefs characteristic of the
development of scientific knowledge...' [3]. According
to NGSS, '...science can be defined as a way of knowing
about the natural and physical world and as a human
endeavor, with scientific knowledge being based on
empirical evidence and open to revision based on new
evidence...” [4]. There is no single definition that
explains the essence of the content of Natural Science
(Science), but despite some differences, many
researchers have reached a consensus on the criteria
for the content of Natural Science (Science). According
to international standards for science education and
the research of several scholars who have worked in
the field of natural sciences for many years, the criteria
for expressing the content of Natural Science (Science)
(Lederman, Abd El Khalik, McComas) are explained as
follows:
1. Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence
and arises from observations of the natural world
:
Scientists require experimental evidence to create new
knowledge. New experimental evidence necessitates
the revision of scientific knowledge [5].
2. The difference between observation and inference
:
Observations are descriptive explanations that can be
directly obtained through the senses from natural
phenomena.
Inferences
are
statements
and
explanations that cannot be directly derived from the
senses and observations, but are interpretations of
them. [6].
3. Scientific knowledge is provisional and may change
as a result of development
: Scientific knowledge can
change due to advancements in technology and
information resources, the acquisition of new
evidence, the reinterpretation and re-understanding of
existing evidence, or changes in social life. What we
consider to be true now may not be recognized as such
in the future. [7].
4. Scientific knowledge encompasses human
conclusions, imagination, and creativity
: Scientific
concepts are not a direct reflection of reality; they are
explanations produced by scientists based on
observations, experiments, and inferences, using their
imagination and creativity. [8].
5. Scientific knowledge is infused with social and
cultural aspects
: Natural science (Science) is a human
activity influenced by the social environment, cultural
Volume 05 Issue 11-2024
85
CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PEDAGOGICS
(ISSN
–
2767-3278)
VOLUME
05
ISSUE
11
Pages:
83-87
OCLC
–
1242041055
Publisher:
Master Journals
and economic factors, religious and philosophical
views, political structures, and the scientific
knowledge embedded within these elements. [9].
6. Scientific knowledge is subjective (theory-based)
:
Scientific knowledge is created based on theoretical
foundations. From the development of scientific issues
to the interpretation of collected data and scientific
observations, these are all related to theory. Scientific
data incorporates subjectivity. The prior knowledge,
views, experiences, and theory-based research of
scientists influence their approach to solving problems
and interpreting observations. [9].
7. Global views on scientific methodology
: The idea
that there is a single scientific method universally
applied in natural sciences (Science) by all scientists is
one of the common misconceptions among people. In
science, there are many activities such as observation,
measurement, experimentation, evaluation, and
hypothesis formulation, but these activities do not
have to follow a specific sequence [6]. Furthermore,
scientists may use different methods in their research
and can change their methods at any point in their
work.
8. The difference between scientific laws and
theories
: Theories are a coherent set of explanations
based on observations of the natural world,
attempting to explain the causes and effects of natural
phenomena, while laws are generalizations and
principles. They describe how a phenomenon occurs in
nature or how it can be observed. [2,6];
Several developed countries, such as Singapore, the
USA, the UK, Turkey, and Greece, use the above
consensus as a principle when analyzing the natural
science curriculum.
METHODOLOGY
Additionally, more hours have been allocated to
practical activities in the natural science (Science)
curriculum, and project work has been included [6].
This helps students develop research skills and enables
them to create their own project work in the future.
In the rapidly developing era of science and
technology, teachers must constantly improve their
pedagogical preparedness to possess adequate
teaching capabilities. The professional development of
general education and natural science teachers is
based on: (1) the objective requirements of educational
institutions and other professional standards, and (2)
the development demands of teachers' own
pedagogical preparation. The experience of other
countries shows that when the professional
development of teachers aligns with their personal
needs, the forms of professional development become
truly beneficial and engage teachers voluntarily.
RESULTS
Analyzing the current state of professional
development for natural science (Science) teachers in
general secondary education schools reveals that in
many professional development institutions, there are
no structured programs specifically aimed at
enhancing the qualifications of natural science
(Science) teachers. When analyzing the quality and
effectiveness of the methodological support provided
to natural science teachers, it became apparent that
the number of resources and teaching manuals created
and published for natural science teachers is very
limited. Additionally, the available manuals are
primarily designed for primary school teachers.
During the pedagogical trial and experimental work,
when observing natural science (Science) lessons for
6th grade students in general secondary schools, the
following issues were clearly observed: the teacher
primarily conducts the lesson in a lecture format based
Volume 05 Issue 11-2024
86
CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PEDAGOGICS
(ISSN
–
2767-3278)
VOLUME
05
ISSUE
11
Pages:
83-87
OCLC
–
1242041055
Publisher:
Master Journals
on the textbook material. Additional literature is not
used (as there is a lack of available resources).
Students are rarely engaged in creative or practical
activities. During the lesson, only five or six active
students are involved, while the rest are neglected.
There is a one-size-fits-all approach to all students. As a
result, students’ life skills and the ability to solve
complex, problem-solving tasks independently are not
developed. Often, students simply memorize ready-
made knowledge and recite it based on their abilities.
As a result, the student remains an object in the
educational process, rather than being an active
subject.
Therefore, we believe that in the process of continuous
professional development, teachers of natural
sciences should be provided with various activities,
such as short-term courses, seminars and training
sessions, online courses, methodological meetings,
individual learning trajectories, and cooperation
opportunities. These measures should aim to enhance
teachers' ability to teach natural sciences and develop
natural literacy skills.
In addition to how educational and developmental
activities are organized, the mastery of natural science
knowledge by students and their development into
scientifically literate individuals also depends on the
teacher’s level of expertise in natural sciences, th
eir
educational-methodological preparation, and the
quality and level of textbooks and teaching manuals.
CONCLUSION
From the above, it is clear that, unfortunately, at
present, comprehensive preparation for natural
science teachers has not been established. Therefore,
in the current stage of education modernization, it is
possible and appropriate to implement such training
within the system of professional development for
educators.
As is well known, the educational-methodological
preparedness of a natural science (Science) teacher
improves through their pedagogical activities: working
on themselves, acquiring knowledge in natural
sciences, continuously mastering modern and
innovative technologies, and staying informed about
new developments in global education.
If the development of natural science teachers'
educational-methodological preparedness is carried
out within the process of professional development,
the teaching of natural sciences in general education
schools will become much more effective, and the
system of teaching natural sciences will lead to the
expected outcomes.
REFERENCES
1.
Suchting W. A. (1995). The nature of scientific
thought. (Science) and Education, 4(1), 1
–
22.
2.
Meichtry Y. (1998). Elementary (Science) methods:
Developing and measuring student views about
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3.
Lederman N. G. (1992). Students’ and teachers’
conceptions of the nature of (Science): A review of
the research. Journal of Research in (Science)
Teaching, 29, 331- 359.
4.
NGSS Lead States (2013). Next Generation
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5.
Abd-El-Khalick F., Bell R. L., Lederman N. G. (1998).
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–
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questionnaire: Toward valid and meaningful
assessment of learners’ conceptions of nature of
Volume 05 Issue 11-2024
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CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PEDAGOGICS
(ISSN
–
2767-3278)
VOLUME
05
ISSUE
11
Pages:
83-87
OCLC
–
1242041055
Publisher:
Master Journals
(Science). Journal of Research in (Science)
Teaching, 39(6), 497
–
521.
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Lederman, N. G., Lederman J. S., Antink A. (2013).
Nature of (Science) and scientific inquiry as
contexts for the learning of (Science) and
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–
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–
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Akerson V., Donnelly L. A. (2010). Teaching nature
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