The ever changing contextualization of nature of science: Recent science education reform documents in the US and its impact on the achievement of scientific literacy

Many have expressed concerns over the marginalization of nature of science (NOS) in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). However, a careful conceptual analysis of how the NGSS addresses NOS relative to previous U.S. reform documents reveals a complex situation related to how NOS is contextualized and apparent assumptions about how NOS is best taught and learned. A historical perspective of the emergence of NOS as an important educational outcome is provided before discussing the role of NOS in the NGSS and in previous reform documents.