ABSTRACT
Beliefs about science inquiry are shaped by news accounts, consumer reports, historical summaries, journal articles, textbook descriptions, and, recently, Internet materials. We define beliefs about scientific inquiry broadly to include images of the nature of science, the purposes and activities of scientists, the goals of science courses, and the learning strategies appropriate for understanding scientific material. This chapter explores how students interpret, process, combine, distinguish, and critique these images of science as well as how innovative, inquiry-based science instruction can help shape the images of science held by students.
