The effect of using drama in science teaching on students' conceptions of the nature of science

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of using drama as a supporting learning strategy on students' conceptions of the nature of science (NOS). Participants were 32 grade 10 and 11 students from a private all-girls' school in Beirut, Lebanon. Fourteen students chose to participate in the extracurricular drama activity. The remaining 18 students were considered the control group and required only to attend the culminating performances. The drama group met for 36 hours over the course of 12 weeks to write scripts about the development of the concept of light using the work of four scientists. Data sources included open-ended questions about the tentative, empirical, and theory-laden NOS, group discussions, interviews, and researchers' field notes and reflections. Results showed that the drama group students exhibited more informed views than the control group about the targeted aspects of NOS. © 2005 Springer.