• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.689-697
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• 2005

Science education has been in a state of crisis for some time. To understand the science teacher's role, it is helpful to reconsider an aspect as fundamental as the nature of science. Since teaching cannot be separated from learning and knowledge, their very close dynamic processes need to prescribe the role of the teacher and student simultaneously. However, traditional views are limited because they tend to emphasize some particular selected aspect of learning and teaching. This paper investigates the epistemology of Michael Polanyi (1891 1976), which is often considered to transcend the confrontation between objectivity and subjectivity of knowledge. Polanyi reconceptualized science knowledge as 'personal knowledge' based on his own experience as a scientist and a thinker. In this study, I discuss 1) the nature of science in light of Polanyi's epistemology, 2) what this says about the meaning of science learning and teaching, 3) the potential of these ideas for the role of the science teacher.