Nature of Science

Scientific Method

Chances are you've heard of the scientific method. What exactly is the scientific method?

Is it a precise and exact way that all science must be done? Or is it a series of steps that most scientists generally follow, but may be modified for the benefit of an individual investigation?

The Scientific Method

There are basic methods of gaining knowledge that are common to all of science. At the heart of science is scientific investigation, which is done by following the scientific method. A scientific investigation is a plan for asking questions and testing possible answers. It generally follows the steps listed in the Figure below. In reality, however, the process doesn’t always go in a straight line.

[Figure 2]

Steps of a Scientific Method. A scientific investigation typically has these steps. Scientists often develop their own steps they follow in a scientific investigation.

Making Observations

A scientific investigation typically begins with observations. An observation is anything detected with the senses, which include sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. You make observations all the time. Let’s say you take a walk in the woods and observe a moth, like the one in the Figure below, resting on a tree trunk. You notice that the moth has spots on its wings that look like eyes. You think the eyespots make the moth look like the face of an owl.

Asking a Question

Observations often lead to questions. For example, you might ask yourself why the moth has eye spots that make it look like an owl’s face. What reason might there be for this observation?

Research Existing Knowledge About the Topic

No matter what you observe, you need to find out what is already known about your questions. For example, is anyone else doing research on eyespots in moths? If yes, what did they find out? Do you think that you should repeat their research to see if it can be duplicated? During your research, you might learn something that convinces you to change or refine your question. From this, you will construct your hypothesis.

Forming a Hypothesis

The next step in a scientific investigation is forming a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a possible answer to a scientific question, but it isn’t just any answer. A hypothesis must be based on scientific knowledge, and it must be logical. A hypothesis also must be falsifiable. In other words, it must be possible to make observations that would disprove the hypothesis if it really is false. Assume you know that some birds eat moths and that owls prey on other birds. From this knowledge, you reason that eye spots scare away birds that might eat the moth. This is your hypothesis.

Testing the Hypothesis

To test a hypothesis, you first need to make a prediction based on the hypothesis. A prediction is a statement that tells what will happen under certain conditions. It can be expressed in the form: If A occurs, then B will happen. Based on your hypothesis, you might make this prediction: If a moth has eyespots on its wings, then birds will avoid eating it.

Next, you must gather evidence to test your prediction. Evidence is any type of data that may either agree or disagree with a prediction, so it may either support or disprove a hypothesis. Evidence may be gathered by an experiment. Assume that you gather evidence by making more observations of moths with eyespots. Perhaps you observe that birds really do avoid eating moths with eyespots. This evidence agrees with your prediction.

Drawing Conclusions

Evidence that agrees with your prediction supports your hypothesis. Does such evidence prove that your hypothesis is true? No; a hypothesis cannot be proven conclusively to be true. This is because you can never examine all of the possible evidence, and someday evidence might be found that disproves the hypothesis. Nonetheless, the more evidence that supports a hypothesis, the more likely the hypothesis is to be true.

Communicating Results

The last step in a scientific investigation is communicating what you have learned with others. This is a very important step because it allows others to test your hypothesis. If other researchers get the same results as yours, they add support to the hypothesis. However, if they get different results, they may disprove the hypothesis.

When scientists share their results, they should describe their methods and point out any possible problems with the investigation. For example, while you were observing moths, perhaps your presence scared birds away. This introduces an error into your investigation. You got the results you predicted (the birds avoided the moths while you were observing them), but not for the reason you hypothesized. Other researchers might be able to think of ways to avoid this error in future studies.

Summary

At the heart of science is the scientific investigation, which is done by following the scientific method. A scientific investigation is a plan for asking questions and testing possible answers.
A scientific investigation typically begins with observations. Observations often lead to questions.
A hypothesis is a possible logical answer to a scientific question, based on scientific knowledge.
A prediction is a statement that tells what will happen under certain conditions.
Evidence is any type of data that may either agree or disagree with a prediction, so it may either support or disprove a hypothesis. Conclusions may be formed from evidence.
The last step in a scientific investigation is the communication of results with others.

NYS Next Generation Science Standards in Living Environment & NGSS

The text provided about the scientific method aligns with various aspects of both the New York State Next Generation Science Standards (NYSSLS) in Living Environment and the National Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

In the New York State Next Generation Science Standards (NYSSLS) for Living Environment, the scientific method is an essential component of the scientific inquiry and the nature of science. The text you shared relates to the following performance expectation:

LS1: Scientific Inquiry

Use the scientific method (including hypothesis formation, observation, experimentation, data collection and interpretation, and conclusion drawing) to construct arguments based on evidence.
Use technology and mathematics to improve investigations and communications.
Plan and conduct controlled scientific investigations.

Additionally, the text also aligns with the National Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), specifically the dimension of "Science and Engineering Practices," which includes practices related to scientific inquiry and the scientific method.

The scientific method is a fundamental concept in science education, and its alignment with these standards demonstrates its importance in teaching students the process of scientific inquiry and investigation. It emphasizes the steps involved in scientific research, such as observation, hypothesis formation, testing, and communication of results, which are key elements of both NYSSLS and NGSS.

Teaching the scientific method using this text can help students develop their skills in scientific inquiry and critical thinking, which are essential components of a science curriculum.

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