DEFINING AND DISCUSSING SCIENCE AND SCIENTIFIC METHODS IN AN INTRODUCTORY COLLEGE SCIENCE CLASS: IS IT NECESSARY?

While physical science textbooks may devote an entire chapter to scientific methods, popular geoscience textbooks often fail to even define science. Does this mean that college geoscience students already know the definition of science? To answer this question, students in Introduction to Earth Science and Physical Geology courses were asked to define natural science on the first day of class. Many students found this to be a difficult task, even students who have taken other science classes in college. Most of the definitions showed that students had incomplete understandings of science. Some students believed that science is a body of knowledge and not a process. Some didn't understand that there are limits on what can be studied with science, and others didn't understand the breadth of what can be learned with science. Several failed to mention that science has both a goal and a purpose. While most students included words like "hypothesis" and "theory" in their definitions, their usage didn't demonstrate understanding. After sharing the science definitions, follow-up lectures that quoted science definitions from esteemed scientists and addressed scientific methods using definitions from the National Academy of Science were given. Students then practiced the concepts learned with different activities. While the definition, lectures and activities consumed two or more days of class time, they introduced students to the scientific process they would encounter in the rest of the course. Students demonstrated an understanding of key points presented in quiz and exam questions, and were able to use the scientific method and communicate about uncertainty in follow-up lab exercises.