3. Scientific methods. In the first chapter of most science textbooks, there will be a section laying out “the scientific method,” a step-by-step process that apparently must be followed in order to conduct scientific studies. The danger in this approach is not only that learning the scientific method is a bummer to students, but that it is also quite restrictive in its scope. Scientists usually do not walk through the method sequentially. They often bounce around, perhaps forming a new hypothesis during experimentation. Studies in which no experimentation is performed are also valid scientific studies, but do not follow the scientific method. For example : Jane good all observed the behavior of the apes in Africa and did not experiment on them, yet her research is still considered science. This butterfly study is a good example of an observational study which does not follow the scientific method, yet students record scientific data and create scientific conclusions.