COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Asynchronous Discussions to Engage Students in Scientific Argumentation

协作研究：异步讨论让学生参与科学论证

• 批准号: 2022975
• 负责人: Kristine Callis-Duehl
• 金额: $ 12.27万
• 依托单位: Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-08-01 至 2022-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2022975&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: COLLABORATIVE; RESEARCH; Asynchronous; Discussions; Engage

A critical part of the scientific process is discussing ideas with other scientists to articulate concepts, to make sense of information, and to explain findings and interpretation. Learning how to participate in this type of discussion, called scientific argumentation, is an important component of STEM education. Scientific argumentation is included in the definition of scientific literacy established by the National Research Council, which defines "engaging in argument from evidence" as a practice to be incorporated in STEM classrooms. The goal of this project is to integrate a study of developing skills in scientific argumentation and online learning to examine how to best engage students in scientific argumentation using online discussion boards. Many undergraduate institutions provide classes online; however, it is unclear how to optimize these virtual classrooms to promote effective argumentation skills. This project will examine the framing of questions for argumentation and will ask whether questions that more closely align with students' lives and interests promote more fruitful online argumentation. The project will also examine factors related to student identity (e.g. gender, group dynamics and group inclusivity) in participation in online argumentation, as well as whether participation in online argumentation affects conceptual and/or cognitive development in students. Findings from the project are expected to contribute to the ongoing analysis of the benefits (or drawbacks) of online STEM education.Online discussion boards are used widely and are potentially valuable instructional tools, but little is known about the science learning that occurs via these discussion boards. This project's goal is to bridge intellectual circles examining scientific argumentation and online learning to provide a greater understanding of how to engage students in scientific argumentation using the asynchronous discussion board. This project will answer three research questions: (1) to what extent does introductory question-driven discussion affect students' abilities to frame productive scientific argumentation as behavior appropriate to a science classroom? (2) To what extent do group characteristics (e.g. gender) mediate the scientific argumentation behaviors that group members engage in during online and fact-to-face discussions? (3) How much conceptual development occurs when student engage in epistemic versus relational discourse, both in online and face-to-face contexts? Examining these questions will yield potential solutions to challenges to engaging students in scientific argumentation.

科学过程的一个关键部分是与其他科学家讨论想法，以阐明概念，理解信息，并解释发现和解释。 学习如何参与这种称为科学论证的讨论，是STEM教育的重要组成部分。 科学论证被纳入国家研究理事会制定的科学素养定义，该定义将“参与证据论证”定义为STEM课堂中的一种做法。 本项目的目标是整合科学论证和在线学习技能发展的研究，以研究如何最好地利用在线讨论板让学生参与科学论证。 许多本科院校提供在线课程;然而，目前还不清楚如何优化这些虚拟教室，以促进有效的论证技能。 这个项目将研究论证问题的框架，并将询问是否更紧密地与学生的生活和兴趣相结合的问题，促进更富有成效的在线论证。 该项目还将研究与参与在线辩论的学生身份有关的因素（例如性别，群体动态和群体包容性），以及参与在线辩论是否会影响学生的概念和/或认知发展。 该项目的研究结果有望有助于对在线STEM教育的好处（或缺点）进行持续分析。在线讨论板被广泛使用，是潜在的有价值的教学工具，但人们对通过这些讨论板进行的科学学习知之甚少。 该项目的目标是在审查科学论证和在线学习的知识界之间架起桥梁，以便更好地了解如何使用异步讨论板让学生参与科学论证。 本研究将回答三个研究问题：（1）引导性问题驱动的讨论在多大程度上影响学生将生产性科学论证框架为适合科学课堂的行为的能力？(2)群体特征（如性别）在多大程度上影响了群体成员在网上和面对面讨论中的科学论证行为？(3)当学生在网络和面对面的环境中进行认知话语和关系话语时，有多少概念发展发生？ 研究这些问题将产生潜在的解决方案，以挑战从事学生的科学论证。