Developing Teachers' Epistemic Cognition and Teaching Practices for Supporting Students' Epistemic Practices with Scientific Systems

该项目旨在调查在培养有能力评估科学活动产生的经验证据的知情公众方面的需求和挑战。这一研究的核心是两个相互交织的问题：(1)认知实践——人们如何获取科学知识以及他们如何评估知识来源；(2)人们如何提高对这些知识来源的评价能力，从而提高他们开发和使用科学知识的能力。虽然许多科学教育研究侧重于帮助学生发展这些能力，例如通过科学论证和建模（以下称为科学思维），但很少有研究关注教师如何获得这种理解以及他们的理解如何影响他们的教学。直到最近，科学教育领域还缺乏一个全面的框架来支持科学知识资源的获取、评估和使用。该项目使用了一个新的理论框架，该框架规定了发展这些科学思维技能的标准，其中包括人们对科学目标的价值，评估科学主张所需的认知参与，以及使人们能够对科学现象做出最佳支持解释的科学技能。该项目将与高中生物教师合作，调查他们自己对科学思维的理解，如何通过专业发展来提高科学思维，以及如何将这种提高转化为实践来支持学生的学习。该项目将与20名教师和教室合作，将影响约1500至3000名学生。教师将在设计和开发活动的三次迭代中扮演设计合作者的角色，目标是提供有效的专业发展支持，并证明学生的成果可以广泛传播。每年的数据收集将包括：(1)40至60个教师教学和学生互动的视频记录；(2)教师和学生的内容和教学内容知识调查；(3)教师前后访谈；(4)展示科学思维已达到何种程度的教师和学生工件。数据将通过混合方法进行分析。定性数据将通过经过验证的编码手册进行分析，该手册规定了一系列科学思维能力。李克特量表和开放式调查问题将用于测量与研究目标相关的各种因素的教学和学习成果的变化。探索研究K-12项目（DRK-12）旨在通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具，显著提高pre -12学生和教师对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，为拟议的项目提供了理论和实证依据。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to investigate needs and challenges in developing an informed public able to evaluate empirical evidence generated from scientific activities. At the core of this research are two intertwined issues: (1) epistemic practices--how people acquire knowledge of science and how they evaluate knowledge sources; and (2) how people improve their abilities to evaluate these knowledge sources so as to improve their abilities to develop and use scientific knowledge. While much science education research has focused on helping students develop these abilities such as through scientific argumentation and modeling (hereafter referred to as scientific thinking), much less research has focused on how teachers acquire this understanding and how their understanding informs their instruction. Until recently, the science education field has lacked a comprehensive framework to support the acquisition, evaluation, and use of scientific knowledge sources. This project uses a new theoretical framework that specifies criteria for developing these scientific thinking skills that include, among others, the value that people place on scientific aims, the cognitive engagement needed to evaluate scientific claims, and the scientific skills that will enable one to arrive at the best supported explanation of a scientific phenomenon. The project will work with high school biology teachers to investigate their own understanding of scientific thinking, how it can be improved through professional development, and how this improvement can translate into practice to support student learning. The project will work with 20 teachers and classrooms that will impact approximately 1500 to 3000 students. Teachers will act as design collaborators in three iterations of design and development activities with a goal to produce effective professional development supports with proven student outcomes that can be broadly disseminated. Data collection each year will entail: (1) 40 to 60 video-recordings of teacher instruction and student interactions; (2) Content and pedagogical content knowledge surveys from teachers and students; (3) Teacher pre- and post-interviews; and (4) Teacher and student artifacts that demonstrate the extent to which scientific thinking has been achieved. The data will be analyzed through a mixed-methods approach. Qualitative data will be analyzed through validated coding manuals that specify a range of abilities in scientific thinking. Likert-scale and open-ended survey questions will be used to measure changes in instruction and learning outcomes in various factors related to the research goals. The Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models, and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.