Background and Objectives: This study sought to examine how elementary school teachers in grades four and five respond to students’ scientific inquiries within the science classroom, specifically through the lens of the nature of science (NOS). The aim was to elucidate teachers’ conceptualizations of science and how these shape their responses to student questions.

Methods: An ethnographic methodology was employed, with purposeful sampling used to select a girls’ elementary school accessible for observation. Four science classes were observed in a non-participatory manner across 32 instructional sessions. Collected data were subjected to thematic analysis in accordance with Wolcott’s framework.

Findings: Findings indicated that teachers predominantly conceptualize science as a corpus of factual knowledge and, to a lesser extent, as a mode of reasoning. The portrayal of science as an investigative process received comparatively limited emphasis. While teachers acknowledged the influence of sociocultural beliefs on scientific understanding in their responses, they seldom recognized the bidirectional relationship between science and society. Furthermore, teachers expressed the view that science is inherently limited in its capacity to answer all human questions.

Conclusion: The analysis revealed that components of the nature of science are partially reflected in teachers’ responses, demonstrating a moderate level of understanding regarding the epistemological foundations, expectations, and contemporary applications of science. The nature of students’ questions underscored their curiosity and the need for deeper engagement with scientific concepts and practices. These findings underscore the imperative to enhance scientific literacy within classroom culture and to integrate NOS more explicitly into national science curricula.