The documents reviewed include several national science education standards
directed at the K-12 environment, one leading state framework document from the
United States, and one U.S. publication (The Liberal Art of Science) targeting the
undergraduate learner. In four of the documents (Curriculum Corporation
[Australia], 1994; AAAS (Benchmarks], 1993; California Framework, 1990; Council
of Ministers of Education [Canada], (1996) and AAAS [The Liberal Art of Science],
1990) an entire chapter or discrete section is devoted to the nature of science. In
the National Science Education Standards (1996) the NOS elements are contained 41
W. F. McComas (ed.) The Nature of Science in Science Education, 41-52.
© 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. 42 W. McCOMAS AND J. OLSON
in each chapter following a discussion of content and in the New Zealand (1993)
publication no section is specifically devoted to the nature of science but such
material is embedded in the narrative.