Table 5 Categorization of respondent definitions
From: “It’s just a theory”: trainee science teachers’ misunderstandings of key scientific terminology
Theory | Code |
|---|---|
Unproven Ideas | UPI |
A system of Ideas | SOI |
Evidenced Ideas | EVI |
Evidenced Ideas, not yet a Law | EINL |
A guess/Guesswork | GUE |
Proven Hypothesis | PRH |
Tested Hypothesis | THE |
No definition | ND |
Other definition | OD |
Fact | |
Evidence or verified Information | EVI |
Truth, proven or reality | TPR |
Known to have occurred/existed | KOE |
A Datum point | DAP |
No Definition | ND |
Other definition | OD |
Law | |
Rule or generalization for natural phenomena | RNP |
Proven with no exceptions/doubt | PNE |
Rule that governs behavior in society | RBS |
Proven theory/hypothesis | PTH |
Ideas for hypothesis generation | IHG |
No Definition | ND |
Other definition | OD |
Hypothesis | |
Testable Idea/Prediction | TIP |
Prediction based on evidence | PBE |
Prediction | PRE |
Prediction based on theory | PBT |
Educated guess | EDG |
Untested theory | UNT |
No Definition | ND |
Other definition | OD |