Rosalind Franklin and the Discovery of the Structure of DNA

Issues associated with nature of science (NOS) have long been recognized as an essential component of scientific literacy. While consensus exists regarding the importance of an explicit reflective approach, precisely how to teach NOS remains elusive. The present study explores one particularly promising approach, namely the use of historical narratives. The purpose of the study was to examine whether narratives based on the history of research on the structure of DNA shared using an explicit and reflective approach would affect students’ understandings of NOS. A mixed method approach was used to assess students’ NOS understanding in two different versions of a biology course. In the intervention version, students learned about research on the structure of DNA through historical narratives. In the alternative version, students learned the same material without historical narratives. The Student Understanding of Science and Scientific Inquiry (SUSSI) instrument was administered pre- and post- intervention to all students. Semi-structured interviews with a total of 27 participants from both treatments were conducted to further clarify students’ responses. Results indicate that most of the participants in the intervention treatment made significant changes from pre- to post-assessment in their understanding of two targeted aspects of NOS including scientists’ use of creativity and imagination, and social and cultural influences on science. Female participants in the intervention treatment also stated that learning about Rosalind Franklin’s contributions by way of the story had given them additional confidence to learn science.