Taylor, J: Secondary School Physics Teachers‘ Conceptions of

The principal aim of this book is to describe the nature of physics teachers conceptions of scientific evidence. As such, there is a dire need in the science education literature for studies such as the one presented in this book. The data from this study suggest that the three teachers, while contemplating the reliability and validity of scientific evidence, frequently used their conceptions of evidence in conjunction with specific subject matter conceptions. The data also indicates that the relationship between subject matter knowledge and conceptions of evidence was more pronounced for some conceptions of evidence than for others. Implications for science teacher education include the suggestion that science and science methods courses encourage teachers to conduct original research and to construct and present evidence-based arguments from this research for peer review and critique. This book is ideal for science teacher educators who work with pre-service or practicing science teachers in all science disciplines.