Developing Critical Evaluation as a Scientific Habit of Mind: Instructional Scaffolds for Secondary Earth and Space Sciences

这个探索性项目开发并测试了称为模型-证据链接（MEL）活动的图形脚手架，它促进了高中生将证据与特定地球和空间科学现象的替代解释联系起来的协调，以及他们对这些现象的协作论证。同时，该项目考察了高中生如何使用这些工具来构建关于地球和空间科学主要主题的科学准确概念，并加深了他们在科学探究过程中的批判性评估能力。本项目的研究问题是：(1)一年的MEL教学活动如何改变高中生的批判性评价能力；(2)批判性评价的使用如何促进对存在较大合理性差距的地球与空间科学主题的判断再评价；(3)促进可信性再评价在多大程度上导致高中生对地球和空间科学基本概念的科学准确概念的构建和重建？该项目发展了三个以地球和空间科学的重要主题为重点的MEL活动。主题将是水力压裂、湿地和月球起源。之所以选择这些mel，是因为它们与地球和空间科学（分别是地质学、水资源和天文学）的主要主题单元相一致。该项目开发了有效的教学工具（MEL活动，以激发合作论证），旨在提高高中学生的批判性评估能力，这是充分参与这些科学和工程实践以及构建科学准确理解的核心。科学主题要求学生有效地评估证据和替代解释之间的联系。开发涵盖地球和空间科学主要主题的MEL活动将有助于教师提高学生的批判性评价能力。这些工具是在地理上不同的环境中开发的，包括一个西班牙裔占多数的学区，以衡量它们在帮助所有学生方面的有效性。此外，拟议研究中采用的基于设计的研究方法侧重于开发工具，这些工具可以很容易地整合到各种科学课程中，以补充和加强科学和工程实践，而不是全盘替代。批判性评估的能力对于发展一个以科学思维习惯为特征的社会是必不可少的，并且能够以一种有利于我们国家的方式应对未来的挑战。

This exploratory project develops and tests graphical scaffolds, called model-evidence link (MEL) activities, which facilitate high school students' coordination of connecting evidence with alternative explanations of particular Earth and space sciences phenomena, as well as their collaborative argumentation about these phenomena. At the same time, the project examines how high school students use these tools to construct scientifically accurate conceptions about major topics in Earth and space sciences and deepens their abilities to be critically evaluative in the process of scientific inquiry. The project's research questions are: (1) how does year-long instruction using MEL activities change high school students' critical evaluation abilities; (2) how does use of critical evaluation promote judgment reappraisals about Earth and space science topics with large plausibility gaps; and (3) to what extent does promotion of plausibility reappraisal lead to high school students' construction and reconstruction of scientifically accurate conceptions about fundamental concepts in Earth and space sciences? The project develops three MEL activities that focus on important topics in Earth and space sciences. The topics will be hydraulic fracturing, wetlands, and lunar origin. These MELs were selected because they align with major topical units in Earth and space science (i.e., geology, water resources, and astronomy, respectively).The project develops effective instructional tools (the MEL activities to stimulate collaborative argumentation) designed to increase high school students' critical evaluation abilities that that are central for fully engaging in these scientific and engineering practices and constructing scientifically accurate understanding. Science topics require students to effectively evaluate connections with evidence and alternative explanations. The development of MEL activities that cover major Earth and space sciences topics will assist teachers in increasing their students' critical evaluation abilities. These tools are developed in geographically diverse settings, including one school district with a Hispanic majority, to gauge their effectiveness in helping all students. Furthermore, the design-based research methods employed in the proposed study are focused on developing tools that can be easily integrated into a variety of science curricula to supplement and reinforce scientific and engineering practices, rather than wholesale replacement. The ability to be critically evaluative is essential for developing a society that characteristically exhibits scientific habits of mind and is equipped to deal with future challenges in a way that is beneficial to our nation.