ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a rationale for the need for research exploring representations of nature of science (NOS) in school science textbooks. It discusses the role of textbooks in school science education, with a consideration of the current usage of textbooks, and the limitations and affordances of textbooks. A review of previous research on representations of NOS in school science textbooks will follow, categorized into some lines of research. Additional studies identified in the literature explored broad NOS themes utilizing different theoretical and analytical frameworks. Another line of research utilized a history and philosophy of science perspective to examine textbook content, with many early studies in this area. The chapter provides a set of empirically justified recommendations for future research and practice with the broad aim of improving how NOS is represented in most heavily utilized curricular resource—the school science textbook. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
