Pre-service mathematics teachers' views of nature of science in the context of COVID-19

A framework for K-12 science education (National Research Council [NRC], 2012) supports science learning on social and political issues to make informed decisions and solve problems. Socio-scientific issues have been considered as a context to teach characteristics of nature of science (NOS). This study is a qualitative study in nature to examine how pre-service mathematics teachers define science and address different aspects of science and scientific literacy in the context of coronavirus (COVID-19). Data sources included written reports and reflections on basic science-related questions. Responses from 50 pre-service mathematics teachers were analyzed through thematic analysis. The results indicated that pre-service mathematics teachers defined science as a product in the form of systematic knowledge, fact or theories-laws-models, and they provided informed or partially informed views on empirical, sociocultural, tentativeness, and subjectivity aspects by referring to cognitive, developmental, and sociocultural dimensions of science literacy. Pre-service mathematics teachers’ definition of science as accumulated knowledge was not aligned with their desirable views on aspects of NOS. The study suggests possible implications for further studies.