When Students Disagree About What Counts as Science: Examining Deep Epistemic Disagreements in Science Classrooms

• In Event: STEM Education Across K-12 Contexts

Abstract

Concerns about the public’s perception of the reliability of science are driving science instruction to emphasize epistemic aims—helping students understand how knowledge is constructed, vetted, and made trustworthy. As a result, classroom disagreements about what counts as reliable knowledge are becoming more visible and instructionally significant. Yet little is known about how such disagreements unfold during inquiry. This study analyzes student talk in a high school science classroom using a curriculum designed to support reflection on the reliability of scientific claims. We ask: What is the nature of epistemic disagreements that emerge during classroom inquiry? Using interactional analysis, we show how shifts in epistemic aims and ideals shaped moments of disagreement—positioning them as valuable sites for epistemic reasoning and instructional design.

Authors

• Noora Fatima Noushad, University of Pennsylvania

• Susan A. Yoon, University of Pennsylvania

• Clark A. Chinn, Rutgers University

• Claire LeBovidge, University of Pennsylvania

• Huma Hussain-Abidi, Rutgers University