Family resemblance approach to characterizing science

Abstract

This chapter draws on the work of Irzik and Nola (2014) on the Family Resemblance Approach (FRA) to inform characterisations of nature of science in science education. The components of the FRA are described and a rationale is provided for drawing on FRA to characterise the nature of science for science education. The FRA can provide a fresh new perspective on how science can be conceptualized in general and how such conceptualisation can be useful for teaching and learning of science in particular. The FRA is described and extended being mindful to have sufficient context and content for it to be of use for science education purposes. Izrik and Nola’s depiction of FRA, which describes components of science in terms of categories subsumed under epistemic, cognitive and social systems, does not provide an extensive discussion. The key categories are reviewed to illustrate the theoretical aspects of the various components. Hence, part of the aim of the chapter is to build on the FRA itself. In applying the FRA to science education, Irzik and Nola’s philosophical model is developed into a functional framework for instructional and learning purposes throughout the rest of this book. In particular, Irzik and Nola’s linguistic and textual account is transformed into a visual representation that highlights the need for a dynamic and interactive tool representing science in a holistic account. The transformed FRA informs the content and structure of the chapters in the rest of the book.