A Systematic Literature Review on the Integration of the Nature of Science in Science Education to Support Scientific Literacy
Abstract
The low level of students’ scientific literacy remains a major issue in science education, as indicated by international assessment results and learning practices that still emphasize conceptual mastery without adequately addressing how scientific knowledge is constructed. One approach considered effective in addressing this issue is the integration of the Nature of Science in science learning, as it helps students understand the nature, processes, and characteristics of science more comprehensively. This study aims to examine and synthesize previous research on the integration Nature of Science in science learning to support the development of students’ scientific literacy. This study employed a systematic literature review (SLR) method following the PRISMA procedure. Data were collected from the Scopus database, covering publications from 2021 to 2026, resulting in 26 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The findings indicate that the integration Nature of Science can be implemented through various approaches, including the development of teaching materials, explicit-reflective learning strategies, contextual approaches based on socio-scientific issues, laboratory activities, and teacher professional training. The integration Nature of Science shows positive contributions to improving students’ scientific literacy, conceptual understanding, critical thinking skills, scientific argumentation, as well as metacognitive aspects and self-efficacy. However, the implementation of Nature of Science is still largely implicit and has not been systematically integrated into learning practices. Therefore, more structured and sustainable efforts are needed to explicitly integrate Nature of Science into science learning in order to optimally support the development of students’ scientific literacy.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/jpp.v26i2.100597
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