Waves of Stabilization and Destabilization in Sense-Making: What Sustains Disciplinary Engagement in a Small Group?

• In Event: Science Teaching and Learning: Student Discourse and Sense-Making

Abstract

Reform efforts suggest that science learning should be a sensemaking enterprise that positions students to construct and evaluate scientific explanations of phenomena. How students engage in this sensemaking and what sustains their engagement are emerging questions. This study adds to research that explores these questions by examining the dynamics that contribute to a group of eighth grade students’ sustained engagement in scientific sensemaking. Data include recordings of group discussions, artifacts, and stimulated-recall interviews. Our findings identify features of student discourse that intertwine with social and affective elements to trigger and maintain cycles of stability and instability in sensemaking. This study contributes to the repertoire of factors typically considered in fostering productive disciplinary engagement in science.

Authors

• Harini Krishnan, Florida State University

• Lama Ziad Jaber, Florida State University

• jennifer schellinger, The Florida State University

• Sherry A. Southerland, Florida State University