Middle School Students’ Epistemic Ideas of Claim, Data, Evidence, and Justification When Reading Arguments

• In Event: Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Select Topics in Middle School Science Education

Abstract

Epistemic understanding of science is critical to promote science literacy. In this study, we document students’ epistemic ideas when they engage in reading text-based versus data-inscription arguments by conducting clinical cognitive interviews. We iteratively analyzed student interviews based on previous theoretical work and grounded approach. We then incorporated the findings from interviews with the result of a large-scale assessment using same reading materials. The findings suggest that middle-school students are able to apply epistemic criteria to determine “what counts” when reading arguments. However, our findings also suggest that science instruction should go beyond merely focusing on content understanding, and include genuine scientific texts and data inscriptions, in which multiple interpretations and explanations are salient and available for students.

Authors

• Suna Ryu, University of California - Berkeley

• Matthew A. Cannady, University of California - Berkeley

• Katherine L. McNeill, Boston College

• P. David Pearson, University of California - Berkeley