Emerging Research-Empirical--Investigating Scaffolding Strategies to Promote Reasoning and Conceptual Change in Science

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The project investigates scaffolding strategies that can promote (a) growth in reasoning abilities, (b) understanding of the nature of science, and (c) conceptual change on topics in middle school life science. Specifically, it focuses on a type of scaffold--epistemic criteria of quality--that has the potential to produce large gains in student learning. Teachers and students in two highly diverse New Jersey urban middle schools will participate in the study.This project undertakes three experiments that will: (1) provide evidence for the efficacy of these scaffolds, and (2) illuminate classroom mechanisms by which the scaffolds improve student learning. Oral data, written artifacts from class discussions, group work, and individual student work will be gathered. Pretest and delayed posttest data will be collected from individuals and pairs, assessing their epistemic understanding, mastery of epistemic criteria, reasoning, and conceptual understanding. Assessments will address both near and far-transfer. Analyses will identify mechanisms by which different scaffolds have their effects. A project website will make available the instructional interventions, annotated narratives illustrating students and teachers working on key components of the modules, a variety of annotated student models and arguments, and video recordings of excerpts from workshops that the Principal Investigators conduct.