CAREER: Investigating Core Issues in Learning Progressions Research

该项目进行了两个平行的学习进展（LP）的研究。LP体现了一种发展性的学习方法，因为它们描述了学生可能采取的路径，因为学生逐渐发展出更复杂的方式来推理某个领域的科学概念和实践。因此，本项目根据早期研究的结果调查LP的理论有效性，以更好地了解学生知识如何在遗传学中发展。两个研究问题将指导研究。1.明确界定和高度限制的学习路径的概念在多大程度上反映了学生的实际发展？在一个领域学习？2.在科学LP中，科学内容的学习和科学实践以何种方式相互作用？也就是说，什么是启示和限制，特定的内容学习路径对科学实践的学习？第一项研究通过比较两个遗传学LP解决了这两个研究问题，通过双重实施的教学单元，也包括一个重点建模实践。这种比较提供了更多的证据，关于类型和相对强度的概念约束和启示，推动学生的遗传学知识的发展。参与的中等规模的郊区使用物理第一的课程，生物学在11年级的科学序列中最后一次教授。参与者包括四名高中教师和他们的学生。该项目影响每个教师约70名学生或560名学生超过两个实施。第二项研究只涉及第一个研究问题，并采用横断面设计来研究从小学后期到大学的学生的遗传学知识的发展。这种横截面设计提供了更多的证据，在遗传学知识的发展，从不同的教学环境中提供了更广泛的样本的概念约束和启示。来自公立和私立学校的5年级、7年级、9年级和11年级的学生以及罗格斯大学、蒙特克莱尔大学和普林斯顿大学的本科生和毕业生参加了第二项研究。样本包括每组约200名学生。

This project conducts two parallel studies on learning progressions (LPs). LPs embody a developmental approach to learning as they describe the paths that students might take as students develop progressively more sophisticated ways of reasoning about scientific concepts and practices in a domain. Therefore, this project investigates the theoretical validity of LPs based on the outcomes of earlier studies to better understand what can be learned about how student knowledge develops in genetics. Two research questions will guide the studies. 1. To what extent does the notion of well-defined and highly constrained learning paths reflect the actual development of students? learning in a domain? 2. In what ways do the learning of scientific content and scientific practices interact in science LPs? That is, what are the affordances and constraints that particular content learning paths pose on the learning of scientific practices? The first study addresses both research questions by comparing two genetics LPs through a dual implementation of instructional units that also include a focus on modeling practice. This comparison provides additional evidence regarding the type and relative strength of the conceptual constraints and affordances that drive the development of student knowledge in genetics. The participating mid-sized suburban district uses a physics-first curriculum where biology is taught last in the science sequence at the11th grade. Participants include four high school teachers and their students. The project impacts about 70 students per teacher or 560 over two implementations. The second study addresses only the first research question and employs a cross-sectional design to examine the development of the genetics knowledge of students from late elementary to college. This cross-sectional design provides additional evidence about the conceptual constraints and affordances in the development of genetics knowledge given a much broader sample from varying instructional contexts. Students at 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th grades from public and private schools as well as undergraduates and graduates from Rutgers, Montclair, and Princeton participate in the second study. The sample includes about 200 students from each group.