Guiding explanation construction by children at the entry points of learning progressions
dc.contributor.author | Songer, Nancy Butler | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Gotwals, Amelia Wenk | en_US |
dc.date.accessioned | 2012-03-16T15:59:57Z | |
dc.date.available | 2013-04-01T14:17:24Z | en_US |
dc.date.issued | 2012-02 | en_US |
dc.identifier.citation | Songer, Nancy Butler; Gotwals, Amelia Wenk (2012). "Guiding explanation construction by children at the entry points of learning progressions." Journal of Research in Science Teaching 49(2): 141-165. <http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/90320> | en_US |
dc.identifier.issn | 0022-4308 | en_US |
dc.identifier.issn | 1098-2736 | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/90320 | |
dc.description.abstract | Policy documents in science education suggest that even at the earliest years of formal schooling, students are capable of constructing scientific explanations about focal content. Nonetheless, few research studies provide insights into how to effectively provide scaffolds appropriate for late elementary‐age students' fruitful creation of scientific explanations. This article describes two research studies to address the question, what makes explanation construction difficult for elementary students? The studies were conducted in urban fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classrooms where students were learning science through curricular units that contained 8 weeks of scaffold‐rich activities focused on explanation construction. The first study focused on the kind and amount of information scaffold‐rich assessments provided about young students' abilities to construct explanations under a range of scaffold conditions. Results demonstrated that fifth and sixth grade tests provided strong information about a range of students' abilities to construct explanations under a range of supported conditions. On balance, the fourth grade test did not provide as much information, nor was this test curricular‐sensitive. The second study provided information on pre–post test achievement relative to the amount of curricular intervention utilized over the 8‐week time period with each cohort. Results demonstrated that when taking the amount of the intervention into account, there were strong learning gains in all three grade‐level cohorts. In conjunction with the pre–post study, a type‐of‐error analysis was conducted to better understand the nature of errors among younger students. This analysis revealed that our youngest students generated the most incomplete responses and struggled in particular ways with generating valid evidence. Conclusions emphasize the synergistic value of research studies on scaffold‐rich assessments, curricular scaffolds, and teacher guidance toward a more complete understanding of how to support young students' explanation construction. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 141–165, 2012 | en_US |
dc.publisher | Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company | en_US |
dc.subject.other | Elementary | en_US |
dc.subject.other | Assessment | en_US |
dc.subject.other | Learning Progressions | en_US |
dc.title | Guiding explanation construction by children at the entry points of learning progressions | en_US |
dc.type | Article | en_US |
dc.rights.robots | IndexNoFollow | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevel | Women's and Gender Studies | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevel | Education | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevel | Management | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevel | Science (General) | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevel | Economics | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbtoplevel | Humanities | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbtoplevel | Science | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbtoplevel | Business | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbtoplevel | Social Sciences | en_US |
dc.description.peerreviewed | Peer Reviewed | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationum | School of Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationum | School of Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationother | College of Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan | en_US |
dc.description.bitstreamurl | http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90320/1/20454_ftp.pdf | |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1002/tea.20454 | en_US |
dc.identifier.source | Journal of Research in Science Teaching | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | National Research Council.( 2007 ). Taking science to school: Learning and teaching science in grades K‐8. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | National Research Council.( 2011 ). A framework for K‐12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | OECD.( 2007 ). PISA 2006: Science competencies for tomorrow's world volume 1: Analysis. Paris, France: Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Parr, C. S., Espinosa, R., Jones, T., McDonald, S., Songer, N. B., & Myers, P. ( 2003 ). Introductory‐level Cyber Tracker sequence for Detroit‐area wildlife, augmented by web‐based data summary and display. The University of Michigan. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Partnership for 21st Century Skills.( 2009 ). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Downloaded from www.p21.org/documents/P21_Framework.pdf on 3/16/2011. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Songer, N. B., Kelcey, B., & Gotwals, A. W. ( 2009 ). When and how does complex reasoning occur? Empirically driven development of a learning progression focused on complex reasoning about biodiversity. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 46 ( 6 ), 610 – 631. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Songer, N. B. ( 2006 ). BioKIDS: An animated conversation on the development of curricular activity structures for inquiry science. In R. Keith Sawyer (Ed.), Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (pp. 355 – 369 ). New York: Cambridge. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Sandoval, W. A. ( 2003 ). Conceptual and epistemic aspects of students' scientific explanations. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 12 ( 1 ), 5 – 51. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Ruberg, S. J. ( 1989 ). Contrasts for identifying the minimum effective dose. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 84 ( 407 ), 816 – 822. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Reiser, B. ( 2004 ). Scaffolding complex learning: The mechanisms of structuring and problematizing student work. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13 ( 3 ), 273 – 304. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Raghunathan, T. E., Lepkowski, J. M., Van Hoewyk, J., & Solenberger, P. ( 2001 ). A multivariate technique for multiply imputing missing values using a sequence of regression models. Survey Methodology, 27 ( 1 ), 85 – 96. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Rasch, G. ( 1960 ). Probabilistic models for some intelligence and attainment tests. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Vygotsky, L. S. ( 1978 ). Mind in Society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Quintana, C., Reiser, B., Davis, E., Krajcik, J., Fretz, E., Duncan, R., … Soloway, E. ( 2004 ). A scaffolding design framework for software to support science inquiry. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13 ( 3 ), 337 – 386. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Toulmin, S. ( 2006 ). The uses of argument (updated edition). New York: Cambridge University Press. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Songer, N. B., Shah, A. M., Fick, S. (in press). Characterizing teachers' verbal scaffolds to guide elementary students' creation of scientific explanations. School Science and Mathematics. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Peters, V. Songer, N. B. (forthcoming). The co‐design of interdisciplinary knowledge in science education. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | BEAR.( 2006 ). Berkeley Center for Evaluation and Assessment. Downloaded from http://bearcenter.berkeley.edu/kennedy/GMOnline/Wright_Maps.html on 3/16/2011. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Bond, T. G., & Fox, C. M. ( 2001 ). Applying the Rasch model: Fundamental measurement in the human sciences. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | The College Board.( 2009 ). Science: College Board Standards for College Success. New York, NY: The College Board. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Davis, E., & Krajcik, J. ( 2006 ). Designing educative curriculum materials to promote teacher learning. Educational Researcher, 34 ( 3 ), 3 – 14. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | No Child Left Behind.( 2002 ). Public Law 107‐110. 107th Congress. January 8, 2002. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Dewey, T. A., Hammond, G. S., Espinosa, R., Parr, C. S., Jones T., & Myers, P. ( 2011 ). BioKIDS Critter Catalog (online). http://www.biokids.umich.edu. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Embretson, S. E., & Reise, S. P. ( 2000 ). Item response theory for psychologists. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Gotwals, A. ( 2006 ). Students' science knowledge bases: Using assessment to paint a picture (unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Gotwals, A. W., & Songer, N. B. ( 2010 ). Reasoning up and down a food chain: Using an assessment framework to investigate students' middle knowledge. Science Education, 94, 259 – 281. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Gotwals, A., Songer, N. B., Bullard, L. (in press). Assessing students' progressing abilities to Construct Scientific Explanations. In A. C. Alonzo & A. W. Gotwals (Eds.), Learning progressions in science: Current challenges and future directions. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishing. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Kennedy, C. A., Wilson, M., Draney, K., Tutunciyan, S., & Vorp, R. ( 2008 ). ConstructMap Version 4.4.0. (computer program). UC Berkeley, CA: BEAR Center. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Lee, H. S., & Songer, N. B. ( 2003 ). Making authentic science accessible to students. International Journal of Science Education, 25 ( 1 ), 1 – 26. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Lehrer, R., & Schauble, L. ( 2010 ). What kind of explanation is a model? In M. K. Stein & L. Kucan (Eds.), Instructional explanations in the disciplines (pp. 9 – 22.) New York, NY: Springer. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Linn, M. C., Shear, L., Bell, P., & Slotta, J. ( 1999 ). Organizing principles for science education partnerships: Case studies of students' learning about ‘rats in space’ and ‘deformed frogs’. Educational Technology Research and Development, 47 ( 2 ), 61 – 84. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Linn, M. C., Bell, P., & Davis, E. ( 2004 ). Specific design principles: Elaborating the scaffold knowledge integration framework. In M. C. Linn, E. A. Davis, & P. Bell (Eds.), Internet environments for science education (pp. 315 – 339 ). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Masters, G. N. ( 1982 ). A Rasch model for partial credit scoring. Psychometricka, 47, 149 – 174. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | McNeill, K., & Krajcik, J. ( 2007 ). Middle school students' use of appropriate and inappropriate evidence in writing scientific explanations. In M. Lovett & P. Shah (Eds.), Thinking with data (pp. 233 – 265 ). New York: Taylor & Francis. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | McNeill, K. ( 2011 ). Elementary students' views of explanation, argumentation, and evidence and their abilities to construct arguments over the school year. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 48 ( 7 ), 793 – 823. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Metz, K. E. ( 1991 ). Development of explanation: Incremental and fundamental change in children's physics knowledge. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 28 ( 9 ), 785 – 797. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | Murkaki, E. ( 1993 ). Information functions of the generalized partial credit model. Applied Psychological Measurement, 17, 351 – 363. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | National Research Council.( 1996 ). National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | National Research Council.( 2000 ). Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards: A guide for teaching and learning. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citedreference | National Research Council.( 2004 ). On evaluating curricular effectiveness: Judging the quality of K‐12 mathematics evaluations. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. | en_US |
dc.owningcollname | Interdisciplinary and Peer-Reviewed |
Files in this item
Remediation of Harmful Language
The University of Michigan Library aims to describe library materials in a way that respects the people and communities who create, use, and are represented in our collections. Report harmful or offensive language in catalog records, finding aids, or elsewhere in our collections anonymously through our metadata feedback form. More information at Remediation of Harmful Language.
Accessibility
If you are unable to use this file in its current format, please select the Contact Us link and we can modify it to make it more accessible to you.