While judging a science fair last year, I was talking to a student who had come to a definite conclusion about his hypothesis based on exactly three data points. I asked him if there was any other possible outcome from an experiment besides "I have proved my hypothesis" and "I have disproved my hypothesis", and he said those were the only two options. When I told him that "I can't conclude anything because I don't have enough information" is sometimes a perfectly valid conclusion, he didn't understand how or why.
Not sure if that's a personal misunderstanding about the philosophy of science or he was never taught it, but I sure hope that concept is not missing from school curriculum.
In my experience, it is. I went to a Sci/Tech magnet school, and it still never came up. The 'correct' answer is always either yes or no; 'I don't know' is not acceptable in a paper or on a test.
At least they were good about generating your own conclusions, and not just trying to make your observations fit with what the teacher thought they ought to be. Most of the time.
Not sure if that's a personal misunderstanding about the philosophy of science or he was never taught it, but I sure hope that concept is not missing from school curriculum.