In practice, science as a process involves an integration of knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop scientific understanding. Practical work in science can include experiencing phenomena, developing practical skills or techniques, and carrying out investigations. Investigations provide key opportunities for students to extend their understanding in science. They also enable students to develop the scientific skills and attitudes required to enhance their ability to explore phenomena and events and to solve problems. It can be expected that, as they learn, students will show an increasing sophistication in the skills they use in their investigations.

Carrying out an investigation in science involves an interaction of many complex skills. These include focusing, planning, information gathering, processing, interpreting, and reporting. Students may be investigating by carrying out a practical investigation of the 'real world', by carrying out an investigation of appropriate reference material, or by integrating these approaches.

Problem solving is an essential part of scientific investigation. Problem solving includes identifying and analysing the problem, gathering relevant information, designing alternative solutions, testing the method or device, evaluating the method or device, modifying the method or device, and reaching a decision regarding the merit of the chosen method or device.

As students learn in science, they should be encouraged to develop the attitudes on which scientific investigation depends. These attitudes include curiosity, honesty in the recording and validation of data, flexibility, persistence, critical-mindedness, open-mindedness, willingness to suspend judgment, willingness to tolerate uncertainty, and an acceptance of the provisional nature of scientific explanation.

Other attitudes which arise out of reflection about the past, present, and future involvement of science in social and political affairs should also be encouraged. These include a positive and responsible regard for both the living and non-living components of the Earth's environment, and a desire for critical evaluation of the consequences of the applications of scientific discoveries.

As students are learning in science they will be developing skills and attitudes specific to science. They will also be engaging in experiences which will help them to develop the full range of the essential skills described in The New Zealand Curriculum Framework. A breakdown of the essential skills and attitudes that can be developed through learning in science can be found in Appendix 2.

The possible learning experiences in this section are organised in relation to clusters of specific investigative skills (focusing and planning, information gathering, processing and interpreting, and reporting). Each learning experience is linked to one or more achievement objectives in another learning strand. For example, 'establishing the criteria to assess flight characteristics when carrying out a 'fair test' of paper darts (P 3.1/2 N 3.1)' indicates that the learning experience relates to Making Sense of the Physical World, level 3, achievement objective 1/2; and to Making Sense of the Nature of Science and its Relationship to Technology, level 3, achievement objective 1.

The codes for the other learning strands are:

N ' Making Sense of the Nature of Science and its Relationship to Technology

L ' Making Sense of the Living World

P ' Making Sense of the Physical World

M ' Making Sense of the Material World

E ' Making Sense of Planet Earth and Beyond