Science Learning and Scientific Reasoning

描述（由申请人提供）：科学学习和科学推理本申请涉及广泛的挑战领域（12）科学，技术，工程和数学教育（STEM）和特定的挑战主题，12-OD-101：教育方法对促进STEM能力的有效性。在STEM教育中，广泛接受的教学目标不仅包括扎实内容知识的发展，还包括一般科学推理能力的发展，使学生能够在未来的职业生涯中成功处理开放式的现实世界任务。该项目的目标是建立一个研究基础设施，以便对广泛使用的互动参与和探究式教育干预措施在培养学生科学推理能力方面的有效性进行系统研究和评估。为达致研究目的，我们会进行四个范畴的研究及发展：（1）完善及完成一套科学推理的标准化评估工具，以提供一套有效及易于使用的评估工具，适合进行大规模的量化评估。(2)评估几个教育项目的有效性和创新对发展科学推理能力的影响。(3)为来自不同年龄组和背景的学生建立一个大规模的国家和国际科学推理定量评估数据库。(4)发展一个用户和研究人员社区，以维持未来促进科学推理的教育研究和发展。这些新的发展将为教育工作者和研究人员提供重要的工具，实用的例子和资源，以及坚实的研究知识基础，用于开发和实施课程或干预措施，有效地帮助学生获得STEM领域的内容理解和一般科学推理能力。该项目将对数百名教师和研究人员以及数万名学生产生直接影响。该项目的产品将对公众对STEM教育的看法和期望以及我们如何教授后代科学和技术产生长期持续的影响。研究结果亦有助我们的教育制度由内容为本的教学模式过渡至能力培养模式，从而培育更具竞争力的下一代劳动人口，以维持社会的繁荣。 公共卫生相关性：该项目的目标是建立一个研究基础设施，以便对广泛使用的互动参与和探究式教育干预措施在培养学生科学推理能力方面的有效性进行系统研究和评估。这些新的发展将为教育工作者和研究人员提供重要的工具，实用的例子和资源，以及坚实的研究知识基础，用于开发和实施课程或干预措施，有效地帮助学生获得STEM领域的内容理解和一般科学推理能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Science Learning and Scientific Reasoning This application addresses broad Challenge Area (12) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (STEM) and specific Challenge Topic, 12-OD-101: Efficacy of educational approaches toward promoting STEM competencies. In STEM education, widely accepted teaching goals include not only the development of solid content knowledge but also the development of general scientific reasoning abilities that will enable students to successfully handle open-ended real-world tasks in their future careers. The goal of this project is to develop a research infrastructure for conducting systematic studies and evaluation of the effectiveness of widely used interactive engagement and inquiry based education interventions on developing students' ability in scientific reasoning. To achieve the research objectives, we will conduct four areas of studies and developments: (1) Refine and complete a standardized assessment instrument on scientific reasoning to produce a valid and easy-to-use assessment tool suitable for large scale quantitative evaluations. (2) Evaluate the effectiveness of several education programs and innovations in their impacts on developing scientific reasoning ability. (3) Develop a large scale national and international quantitative assessment database on scientific reasoning for students from different age groups and backgrounds. (4) Develop a community users and researchers to sustain future research and development in education that promotes scientific reasoning. These new developments will provide educators and researchers with vital instruments, practical examples and resources, and a solid research knowledge base for developing and implementing curricula or interventions that are effective in helping students gain both content understanding and general scientific reasoning abilities in STEM areas. This project will make direct impact to hundreds of teachers and researchers and tens of thousands of students. The products of this project will make long-term sustained impact on the public's views and expectations of STEM education and how we teach future generations in science and technology. The outcomes will also help the transition of our education system from content-oriented teaching to ability fostering, which will produce a more competitive next generation workforce to sustain the prosperity of our society. Public Health Relevance: The goal of this project is to develop a research infrastructure for conducting systematic studies and evaluation of the effectiveness of widely used interactive engagement and inquiry based education interventions on developing students' ability in scientific reasoning. These new developments will provide educators and researchers with vital instruments, practical examples and resources, and a solid research knowledge base for developing and implementing curricula or interventions that are effective in helping students gain both content understanding and general scientific reasoning abilities in STEM areas.