Exploring Science Teachers' Epistemological Understanding of Science and Science Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this study was to explore science teacher's epistemological understanding of science and science teaching and learning, from the perspective of inquiry as the process of scientific knowledge building. Three science teachers participated in this study. The data were collected from individual in-depth interviews and classroom videotaping. The results show a case involving coherent and consistent data. It showed that the teacher's epistemological understanding of science and science teaching and learning consisted of five categories: scientists doing science with scientific thinking; scientific thinking as the process of knowing; science learner in the learning process of scientific thinking; science teacher as a man/woman with good understandings of science; and teaching and learning as the process of knowing science. Based on the results, discussions and implications about science education and science teacher education were presented.