CHAPTER 6UNDERSTANDING HOW SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE IS CONSTRUCTED

By Adriana Lopez & Jessica Moreno

Science is not only a body of knowledge, but also a way of knowing. One important underpinning for learning science is students understanding of the nature and structure of scientific knowledge and the process by which is developed

FOCUS ON THE STATUS

Children's understanding Most children do not develop a

understanding Methods of science, the school curriculum Facilitate their understand of scienceOnce undertake it is easier to understand scientific knowledge is constructed.

UNDERLYING MODEL OF THE NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE

K-8 years, review approaches the field has taken to articulate the underlying model of building scientific knowledge.

Osborne and colleagues (2003) identify the ideas about science that should be part of the school science curriculum.

include: science and certaintyAnalysis and interpretation of dataScientific method and critical testingHypothesis and prediction ect.

OSBORNE DEFINITIONS OF SCIENCE EPISTEMOLOGY

List of four broad epistemological themes1st- the viewing scientific knowledge as constructed is of primary importance that underscores a dialectical relationship between theory and evidence.2nd- theme is that scientific methods are diverse: there is no single method which generically applies to all scientific inquires.3rd- scientific knowledge comes in different forms, which vary in their explanatory and predictive power.4th- defining the aspects of understanding the epistemology that have been linked to enhancing the development of science understanding.

SCIENCE EPISTEMOLOGY (CONT.)

Gobert and colleagues have studied the epistemology of model of students.

Include their understanding of models as representations of causal or explanatory ideas, that there can be multiple models of the same thing, that models do not need to be exactly like the thing modeled, and that models can be revised or changed in light of new data.

SCIENCE EPISTEMOLOGY (CONT.)

Schwartz and White (2005)Found that students pretest modeling knowledge was the only variable that was a significant predictor of success for all three posttest measure and it was the best predictor of both posttest content and modeling knowledge.

UNDERSTANDING KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION

Developmental literature involves a continuation of the theory of mind frame into the elementary school years.

At 6yrs children begin to develop a view of mind as an active interpreter

Young children understanding of the constructive nature of knowledge itself has not been studied extensively, but upper elementary school students tend to fall short of viewing knowledge as rooted in a theoretical world view.

UNDERSTANDING KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION (CONT)

Perry (1999)individuals display shifts in their general

stance toward knowledge and knowing. Specifically, many young people enter early adolescence embracing an absolutist or dualist view of knowledge and truth. Boyes and Ball (1990)

epistemic doubt, they struggle with the erosion of their certainty and may lose confidence altogether that it is possible to be certain about anything

UNDERSTANDING KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION (CONT.)

In later adolescence or early adulthood. Some individuals may pass through relativism to embrace a contextualize commitment to reasoned judgment, although this move is by no means typical or inevitable.

Understand that knowledge is neither certain nor complete.

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

Research included:1. Science specific developmental literature2. Epistemic cognition literature focused on

understanding of science as a way of knowing3. Survey-based data focused on children’s beliefs

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

Imagine how holding either absolutist or relativist epistemologies could lead to distorted view of nature of science.

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

Many students do not understand that science is primarily a theory-building enterprise.

Students learn through observation, hypotheses, and experiment.

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

Students may not make clear distinctions between theory,

specific hypotheses, and evidence, and they may expect to

find simpler and more direct relations between data and

conclusions than warranted.

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

Children are rarely taught abut controversy in science, so

Why would they come to view scientific knowledge as contested?

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

Research suggest that K-8 students have a limited understanding of how scientific knowledge is constructed.

However, it is not clear to what extent one can attribute such limitations to developmental state, as opposed to adequacy of instructional opportunity or other experiences.

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

An analysis of curriculum by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) indicates that all curricular content is typically represented as of equal importance, with little attention to its interconnections or functionality.

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

Curriculum has been criticized

Methods of Science dominate the school Science Curriculum.

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

“Science taught in schools is often different from actual science and from everyday life. Students’ learning difficulties are thus increased because Scientific goals are distorted and scientific ways of thinking are inadequately taught.”

Rief and Larkin (1991)

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

Research on sixth grade students’ understanding of the nature of science suggested that they had a much better sense of the constructive, knowledge problematic nature of the enterprise.

Example: Designing a model that works like a human elbow.

UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

Table 6-1 One Progression of increasingly sophisticated Metaconceptual activities in grades 1-6

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UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF SCIENCEAND HOW IT IS CONSTRUCTED

The lack of attention to theory, explanation, and models

may exacerbate the difficulties children have with understanding how scientific knowledge is

constructed.

Thank you!!!!