http://undsci.berkeley.edu/teaching/misconceptions.php#b1
Many students have misconceptions about what science is and how it works. This section explains and corrects some of the most common misconceptions that students are likely have trouble with. If you are interested in common misconceptions about teaching the nature and process of science, visit our page on that topic.
Misinterpretations of the scientific process
- Science is a collection of facts.
- Science is complete.
- There is a single Scientific Method that all scientists follow.
- The process of science is purely analytic and does not involve creativity.
- When scientists analyze a problem, they must use either inductive or deductive reasoning.
- Experiments are a necessary part of the scientific process. Without an experiment, a study is not rigorous or scientific.
- "Hard" sciences are more rigorous and scientific than "soft" sciences.
- Scientific ideas are absolute and unchanging.
- Because scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change, they can't be trusted.
- Scientists' observations directly tell them how things work (i.e., knowledge is "read off" nature, not built).
- Science proves ideas.
- Science can only disprove ideas.
- If evidence supports a hypothesis, it is upgraded to a theory. If the theory then garners even more support, it may be upgraded to a law.
- Scientific ideas are judged democratically based on popularity.
- The job of a scientist is to find support for his or her hypotheses.
- Scientists are judged on the basis of how many correct hypotheses they propose (i.e., good scientists are the ones who are "right" most often).
- Investigations that don't reach a firm conclusion are useless and unpublishable.
- Scientists are completely objective in their evaluation of scientific ideas and evidence.
- Science is pure. Scientists work without considering the applications of their ideas.
Misleading stereotypes of scientists
Vocabulary mix-ups
Roadblocks to learning science
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