Association Between Experienced Teachers’ NOS Implementation and Reform-Based Practices Benjamin C. Herman • Michael P. Clough • Joanne K. Olson Published online: 4 June 2013 Ó The Association for Science Teacher Education, USA 2013 Abstract The assertion that general reform-based science teaching practices (GRBSTPs) can facilitate nature of science (NOS) instruction has been mentioned in the literature, but rigorous and transparent empirical substantiation for this claim has not been made. This investigation empirically demonstrates an association between thirteen experienced teachers’ NOS implementation practices and their GRBSTPs. While effectively implementing GRBSTPs does not ensure the NOS will be taught, the findings show that these practices are associated with high levels of NOS instruction. In this study, teachers who implemented higher levels of reform- based practices were also observed to enact more instances of planned and spon- taneous effective NOS instruction. Furthermore, these teachers were more likely to recognize and capitalize on NOS teaching opportunities when they unexpectedly arose in the context of their GRBSTPs. Just as NOS understanding must be assessed when determining factors associated with teachers’ NOS implementation, teachers’ GRBSTPs should also be empirically and transparently established to ensure they do not mask or confound other factors associated with NOS implementation. Keywords Nature of science Á Reform-based practices Á Education research methodology Á Science teacher education B. C. Herman (&) Department of Secondary Education, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA e-mail: bcherman@usf.edu M. P. Clough Á J. K. Olson School of Education, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA e-mail: mclough@iastate.edu J. K. Olson e-mail: jkolson@iastate.edu 123 J Sci Teacher Educ (2013) 24:1077–1102 DOI 10.1007/s10972-013-9353-0