Upper secondary students' views of the Nature of Science: The influence of activities at a research centre

The aim of the study is to identify what influences activities at a research centre have on the students’ views on Nature of Science as a subset of their scientific literacy. The research centre represents direct access to the scientific ways of thinking and offers possibilities for the students to gain authentic experiences related to their views on NOS. The target group is Danish upper secondary 17–20-years old students and their views on Nature of Science (NOS) triangulated in their views on (1) science, (2) scientists and (3) the students’ knowledge about how they solve problems in school and the value of communication between peers. Present research makes use of diverse methodologies, including drawings by the students followed by a separate interview where the student interprets the illustrations. The aim is to clarify whether the students supply their views on NOS gained from other use of methodologies and how their compare own use of methods with the one used by the scientists. The results are students profiles representing their views on NOS created by written and narrative answers included the impacts of the visit at a research centre.