Education Commons^™

Argumentation And Debate In The High School Chemistry Classroom, Rachel Blais

Honors Projects

The primary focus of this study was to determine the implications of argumentation and debate in a high school chemistry classroom through the process of argument driven inquiry. Findings from a pre and post questionnaire and student reflections suggested that argument driven inquiry helped students with their critical thinking, interpersonal, and argumentative skills.

Investigating How Timing Of Case Study Presentation On Huntington Disease Influences Construction Of Argument Warrant While Learning The Central Dogma Of Molecular Biology, Katherine A. Sharp

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

A common belief among pre-medical and medical students is that biochemistry is not relevant to practicing medicine. Among topics commonly taught in biochemistry, courses include the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology, which is among the most critical science topics taught to medical students by biochemistry educators. Perceived irrelevance among students may be due to common curricular trends in biochemistry education. Many biochemistry courses are found at Research I (R1) universities that teach biochemistry using traditional lectures with little evidence of supporting learning with real-world applications. Instructors commonly assume that students can make realworld connections independently during lecture courses, but it …

An Examination Of Oral Argumentation Using Socioscientific Issues Among Secondary Students With Disabilities, Mindy A. Gumpert

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The recent science education reforms mandate that all students must receive adequate opportunities to access the science curriculum in order to gain a better understanding of how science and the world works (National Research Council, 2012). According to these reforms, engagement in argumentation is one science practice essential to today’s K-12 science education (Sampson & Clark, 2011). Engagement in argumentation promotes critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills, and has the potential to promote growth of cognitive and metacognitive reasoning (Venville & Dawson, 2010). Additionally, engagement in argumentation using socioscientific issues provides students with authentic links to contemporary real-world social …

A Granular Account Of Student's Understanding Reasoning Within An Everyday And Scientific Contexts, Grace M. Gonnella

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers and educational researchers in the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership (Maine PSP) at the University of Maine identified making quality scientific arguments as a struggle for students. Not only is argumentation hard, but reasoning is the hardest component of an argument. Many frameworks have been developed to target teaching about argumentation but do not address how to teach one component of an argument in isolation. Educational practitioners encourage using everyday context to learn about arguments in the scientific context, but there is limited support in what is the best method. The first purpose of this research was to understand a …

Enhancing And Evaluating Scientific Argumentation In The Inquiry-Oriented College Chemistry Classroom, Annabel D'Souza

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The research presented in chapters 2, 3, and 4 in this dissertation uses a sociocultural and sociohistorical lens, particularly around power, authority of knowledge and identity formation, to investigate the complexity of engaging in, supporting, and evaluating high-quality argumentation within a college biochemistry inquiry-oriented classroom.

Argumentation skills are essential to college and career (National Research Council, 2010) and for a democratic citizenry. It is central to science teaching and learning (Osborne et al., 2004a) and can deepen content knowledge (Jiménez-Aleixandre et al., 2000; Jiménez-Aleixandre & Pereiro-Munhoz, 2002). When students have opportunities to make claims and support it with evidence and …

Discussion In Middle And High School Earth Science Classrooms And Its Impact On Students' Abilities To Construct Evidence-Based Arguments In Their Written Work, Rachel Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Middle and high school teachers who participate in the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership (MainePSP) noted persistent problems in their classrooms, including low levels of student engagement and gaps in how students use evidence. To address these problems, this study was designed in collaboration with MainePSP teachers in a design-based implementation research process as teachers aimed to better connect classroom discussion and written argumentation. Though scientific writing makes use of argumentation to support ideas, it is often the sharing of ideas that makes an argument stronger.

Two teachers collected data from their seventh and ninth grade Earth Science classrooms at schools …

Using Mobile Technology To Engage Middle School Students In The Scientific Practice Of Argumentation Via Screencasting, Patricia Anne Mcginnis

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This case study examined the use of mobile devices in supporting data collection and argumentation in the sixth grade science classroom. Mobile devices were used for data collection during laboratory activities and for constructing screencasts of science arguments. Findings revealed that students exhibit little planning when collecting digital data. Students used the digital data to add visual interest to their screencasts, support observations, and support inferences. Students who used the screencasting application’s narration and annotating tools were more likely to create appropriate and sufficient science arguments than their peers. One of the low achieving students in this study was able …

Argumentation In Science Class: Its Planning, Practice, And Effect On Student Motivation, Anju Taneja

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies have shown an association between argumentative discourse in science class, better understanding of science concepts, and improved academic performance. However, there is lack of research on how argumentation can increase student motivation. This mixed methods concurrent nested study uses Bandura's construct of motivation and concepts of argumentation and formative feedback to understand how teachers orchestrate argumentation in science class and how it affects motivation. Qualitative data was collected through interviews of 4 grade-9 science teachers and through observing teacher-directed classroom discourse. Classroom observations allowed the researcher to record the rhythm of discourse by characterizing teacher and student speech as …

The Impact Of Design-Based Modeling Instruction On Seventh Graders' Spatial Abilities And Model-Based Argumentation, William J. Mcconnell

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Due to the call of current science education reform for the integration of engineering practices within science classrooms, design-based instruction is receiving much attention in science education literature. Although some aspect of modeling is often included in well-known design-based instructional methods, it is not always a primary focus. The purpose of this study was to better understand how design-based instruction with an emphasis on scientific modeling might impact students' spatial abilities and their model-based argumentation abilities. In the following mixed-method multiple case study, seven seventh grade students attending a secular private school in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States …

Socioscientific Issues: A Path Towards Advanced Scientificliteracy And Improved Conceptual Understanding Of Socially Controversial Scientific Theories, Dean William Pinzino

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This thesis investigates the use of socioscientific issues (SSI) in the high school science classroom as an introduction to argumentation and socioscientific reasoning, with the goal of improving students' scientific literacy (SL). Current research is reviewed that supports the likelihood of students developing a greater conceptual understanding of scientific theories as well as a deeper understanding of the nature of science (NOS), through participation in informal and formal forms of argumentation in the context of SSI. Significant gains in such understanding may improve a student's ability to recognize the rigor, legitimacy, and veracity of scientific claims and better discern …