Language as Resource in Science Learning: A Comparative Case Study Between the United States and China

• In Event: Poster Session 8
  In Poster Session: Division K Section 4 Poster Session

Abstract

This conceptual study explored how language can function as resources and shape its speakers’ scientific ideas. We presented two cases in which Chinese pre-service and in-service science teachers demonstrated significantly different understandings on science content and nature of theory from their American counterparts. Analysis of the cases showed that some linguistic differences, such as ways of lexicalization, semantical connections, and lexical gaps, can make certain distinctions more salient in Chinese than in English, which in turn lead to differences in their speakers’ conceptual understandings and epistemological beliefs in science. In discussion, we proposed a hypothesis on the origin of the linguistic differences identified and drew implications for practitioners and researchers in the field of science education.

Authors

• Xiaowei Tang, Southwest University

• Daniel M. Levin, University of Maryland - College Park