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

这一探索性项目开发和测试了名为模型-证据链接(MEL)活动的图形支架，它有助于高中生协调将证据与对特定地球和空间科学现象的替代解释联系起来，并就这些现象进行协作辩论。与此同时，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的概念，并加深他们在科学探究过程中进行批判性评估的能力。该项目的研究问题是：(1)为期一年的MEL活动教学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真实性差距较大的地球和空间科学主题的判断重评；(3)促进真实性重评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建构和重构？该项目开发了三项MEL活动，重点关注地球和空间科学中的重要主题。主题将是水力压裂、湿地和月球起源。这些MEL之所以被选中，是因为它们与地球和空间科学的主要专题单元(分别是地质学、水资源和天文学)保持一致。该项目开发了有效的教学工具(激发协作论证的MEL活动)，旨在提高高中生的批判性评估能力，这对于充分参与这些科学和工程实践并建立科学的准确理解至关重要。科学主题要求学生有效地评估与证据和其他解释的联系。开展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。这些工具是在不同的地理环境中开发的，包括一个拉美裔占多数的学区，以衡量它们在帮助所有学生方面的有效性。此外，拟议研究中采用的以设计为基础的研究方法侧重于开发可轻松整合到各种科学课程中的工具，以补充和加强科学和工程实践，而不是完全取代。批判性评估的能力对于发展一个具有科学思维习惯并有能力以有利于我们国家的方式应对未来挑战的社会至关重要。

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.