Knowing “What Is Science” Boosts Students’ Science Learning Globally

Proliferating information and viewpoints in the 21st century require an educated citizenry with the ability to understand scientific knowledge but also to comprehend “what is science” - nature of science (NOS). We present a global investigation of how NOS views are associated with science learning across 72 countries for 514,119 adolescents. Adolescents who view that knowledge is changeable and comes from experimentation are: more likely to show high science achievement, feel more self-efficacious, more intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to engage in science learning, and aspire more to pursue a STEM-related career. Critically, NOS views are more strongly linked to science achievement than motivation. Consistent patterns across countries suggest the important role of NOS views in science learning and have significant policy and practice implications globally.