Teaching and testing about the Nature of Science: problems in attempting to determine students' perceptions

This paper reports on a pilot study that used a paper and pencil test to explore the views of senior high school students about the nature of science. One group of the students who completed the test had, in the previous year, experienced a particular unit of work designed to illustrate for the students what it was like to 'work like a scientist'. The paper and pencil test was administered to the whole year level (Year 11) that comprised the particular class from the previous year (Year 10) with the intention of determining the impact the unit of work had on these students. This paper highlights then an interesting paper and pencil test as well as the difficulties encountered in conducting an apparently straight forward study.