Fostering Connections between Macroscopic, Submicroscopic, and Representational Levels Using Analogical Reasoning in the Chemistry Laboratory

科学家和科学教育工作者一直强调用类比推理在创新、发现新事物和推动科学发展中所起的重要作用。化学家们善于运用这种类比推理，在可以用感官（宏观层面）观察到的现象、亚微观粒子（如原子和分子）的行为以及化学中使用的各种表征之间建立联系。然而，许多化学专业的学生在大学课程中很难建立这些联系，这给他们的学习造成了障碍。核心学习周期（化学观察表征实验）旨在提供一个环境，学生可以在一个反映实验和发现过程的序列中发展他们的类比推理技能。CORE的一个主要目标是通过培养宏观、亚微观和表征领域之间的联系来支持强大的类比推理技能的发展。另一个关键目标是培养将强大的类比推理整合到实验设计过程和科学论证的构建中。本项目将研究学生如何使用类比推理来构建与化学实验室工作相关的科学论证，以及反复接触核心实验如何影响学生在宏观、亚微观和表征层面协调思想的能力。因此，它有潜力为本科生提供未来成功参与科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）所需的技能。这个NSF改善本科STEM教育（IUSE: EHR）项目将收集关键证据，以更好地了解如何培养本科化学学生的类比推理技能，并帮助学生在宏观、亚微观和表征层面协调思想。该研究将通过一系列五个核心实验来调查学生对核心学习周期的参与。CORE学习周期中嵌入的底层框架基于结构映射理论和类比教学模型。将解决两个研究问题：(1)学生如何使用类比推理来构建与化学实验室工作相关的科学论证？(2)反复接触核心实验如何影响学生在宏观、亚微观和表征层面协调思想的能力？学生的实验工作将被分析，以评估他们对类比推理的理解，他们对类比局限性的欣赏，以及学生科学论证的质量。对图尔敏论证模型的改编将用于评估学生科学论证的质量。这个为期三年的项目每年将有32名学生参与，每年夏天将聘请一名K-12科学教师为K-12教室调整CORE实验。该项目将为科学教育研究人员和STEM教师提供新的知识，让他们了解如何培养类比推理技能，并在宏观、亚微观和表征层面上协调思想。

Scientists and science educators have emphasized the vital role that reasoning with analogies plays in innovation, making new discoveries, and advancing science. Chemists are adept at using such analogical reasoning to make connections between observations that can be made with the senses (macroscopic level), the behavior of submicroscopic particles such as atoms and molecules, and the various representations used in chemistry. However, many chemistry students struggle with making these connections in college courses, and this creates a barrier to their learning. The CORE learning cycle (Chemical Observations Representation Experimentation) is designed to provide an environment where students can develop their analogical reasoning skills in a sequence that mirrors the process of experimentation and discovery. A main goal of CORE is to support the development of strong analogical reasoning skills in a way that fosters the connections between macroscopic, submicroscopic and representational domains. Another key goal is to foster the integration of strong analogical reasoning into the experimental design process and in construction of scientific arguments. This project will investigate how students use analogical reasoning in constructing scientific arguments related to chemistry laboratory work and how repeated exposure to CORE experiments influence students' abilities to coordinate their ideas across macroscopic, submicroscopic, and representational levels. Thus, it has the potential to provide undergraduate students with the skills needed to be successful in participating in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in the future.This NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE: EHR) project will gather critical evidence to better understand how to develop undergraduate chemistry students' analogical reasoning skills and help students coordinate ideas across macroscopic, submicroscopic, and representational levels. The research will investigate student participation in CORE learning cycles over a series of five CORE experiments. The underlying frameworks embedded in the CORE learning cycle are based on Structure Mapping Theory and the Teaching-with-Analogy model. Two research questions will be addressed: (1) How do students use analogical reasoning in constructing scientific arguments related to chemistry laboratory work? and (2) How does repeated exposure to CORE experiments influence students' abilities to coordinate ideas across macroscopic, submicroscopic, and representational levels? Students' laboratory work will be analyzed to assess their understanding of analogical reasoning, their appreciation for the limitations of analogies, and the quality of students' scientific arguments. An adaptation of Toulmin's model of argumentation will be used to assess the quality of students' scientific arguments. The three-year project will involve 32 student participants per year and will engage a K-12 science teacher each summer to adapt CORE experiments for K-12 classrooms. The project will contribute new knowledge to inform both science education researchers and STEM instructors about ways to foster analogical reasoning skills and coordination of ideas across macroscopic, submicroscopic and representational levels.