Abduction as a Mode of Inference in Science Education

Adúriz–Bravo, Agustín; Pinillos, Alger Sans

doi:10.1007/s11191-022-00366-8

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Different stages of scientific inquiry are connected to different types of reasoning (Lawson, 2003(Lawson, , 2010Adúriz-Bravo and Sans Pinillos, 2019). The relationships between and definitions of reasoning types in inquiry are discussed in the philosophy of science literature (e.g., Kuipers, 2004;Adúriz-Bravo and González Galli, 2022).…”

Section: Abductive Reasoning In Modeling For Inquirymentioning

confidence: 99%

Abductive reasoning in modeling biological phenomena as complex systems

Engelschalt,

Röske,

Penzlin

et al. 2023

Front. Educ.

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IntroductionAbductive reasoning is a type of reasoning that is applied to generate causal explanations. Modeling for inquiry is an important practice in science and science education that involves constructing models as causal explanations for scientific phenomena. Thus, abductive reasoning is applied in modeling for inquiry. Biological phenomena are often best explained as complex systems, which means that their explanations ideally include causes and mechanisms on different organizational levels. In this study, we investigate the role of abductive reasoning in modeling for inquiry and its potential for explaining biological phenomena as complex systems.MethodsEighteen pre-service science teachers were randomly assigned to model one of two biological phenomena: either a person's reddened face, for which participants knew of explanations from their everyday lives, or a clownfish changing its sex, for which participants did not know about explanations. Using the think-aloud method, we examined the presence of abductive reasoning in participants' modeling processes. We also analyzed modeling processes in terms of participants' ability to model the phenomena as complex systems.ResultsAll participants reasoned abductively when solving the modeling task. However, modeling processes differed depending on the phenomenon. For the reddened face, participants generated simple models that they were confident with. In contrast, for the clownfish, participants generated more complex models that they were insecure about. Extensive engagement in abductive reasoning alone did not lead to the generation of models that explained the phenomena as complex systems.DiscussionBased on the findings, we conclude that engagement in abductive reasoning will not suffice to explain phenomena as complex systems. We suggest examining in future studies how abductive reasoning is combined with systems thinking skills to explain phenomena as complex systems in biological model construction.

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Section: Abductive Reasoning In Modeling For Inquirymentioning

confidence: 99%

Abductive reasoning in modeling biological phenomena as complex systems

Engelschalt,

Röske,

Penzlin

et al. 2023

Front. Educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…From this perspective, situations such as determining that a person is a rock star because of the way they dress [33] (pp. [54][55][56] or not considering the possibility that the argument you see in the distance on a train between two men is an argument between a couple [20] can be explained using abduction: they are triggered hypotheses that indicate a course of action when we are faced by surprising situations to which we cannot give a habitual response. Abduction can similarly be understood as a mechanism through which to manage one's experiences of novel or strange facts, etc., that pose a challenge which agents begin to resolve starting with the hypothesis.…”

Section: The Eco-cognitive Model Of Abductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is an idea totally consonant with thinking by design. So, scientific research cannot be fully understood without abduction [20]. This conclusion follows, as has been said, from conceiving this form of inference as the basis of perception [12] (CP 2.619-644).…”

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confidence: 99%

Concerning the Epistemology of Design: The Role of the Eco-Cognitive Model of Abduction in Pragmatism

Pinillos

Estany

2023

Philosophies

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Design has usually been linked to art and applied in scenarios related to everyday life. Even when design has, on occasion, made its way into the world of academia, it has always been closely linked to art and scenarios related everyday life. At last, however, the idea of design has reached the field of epistemology: an area within the very heart of philosophy that has always focused, in theory, on the foundations of knowledge. Consequently, design is being studied from different approaches interested in the foundation of knowledge, theoretical and practical. This is one of the reasons why abduction and pragmatism have been considered relevant from a design perspective. This paper first shows the main features of abduction and pragmatism, describes their evolution and considers their mutual implications. Second, the epistemology of design is analysed considering its most relevant characteristics. Third, the connection between abduction and, on the one hand, pragmatism and, on the other, design epistemology is addressed. Finally, the role of abductive inference in grounding a real epistemology for design theory from the naturalised cognitive perspective of abduction is outlined. The central proposition is that this approach is essential as a methodological innovation, as it allows us to analyse both the inquiry process and the design process as interdependent when dealing with practical problems of a social and cultural nature. This approach allows us to analyse how human actions determine changes in the theoretical framework from which we make our inquiry. In short, the world is an open-ended project that humans design through our daily inquiry.

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Sensemaking as a goal of science education, abduction as a process of scientific sensemaking

Oh,

2024

J Res Sci Teach

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Current science education reform efforts have identified sensemaking as an important goal of science education, and science education researchers have studied what constitutes the sensemaking process in the science classroom. Because the studies of sensemaking are loosely linked to those of scientific reasoning, however, they have provided little practical insight into how students can make scientific sense, rather than any sense, of natural phenomena. Therefore, in this position paper, we discuss the close relationship between sensemaking and abduction. Sensemaking refers to a prolonged process of resolving a gap or inconsistency in current knowledge and understanding by constructing an explanation of a phenomenon. Abduction is a form of scientific reasoning to generate explanatory hypotheses about the evidence embedded in a phenomenon based on available resources. Abduction can play a crucial role in sensemaking by providing a mechanism for generating a plausible explanation of a target phenomenon and should be adapted for science teaching and learning for students' sensemaking through engagement in science practices. In particular, to develop scientific sensemaking in students, the teacher should help students identify critical evidence, provide students with critical resources, and encourage students to use the method of multiple working hypotheses, so that the students can construct scientifically sound and valid explanations of natural phenomena. It is suggested that further research explore and collect exemplary cases of science teachers effectively supporting students to achieve scientific sensemaking through abduction.

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Abduction as a Mode of Inference in Science Education

Cited by 6 publications

References 53 publications

Abductive reasoning in modeling biological phenomena as complex systems

Abductive reasoning in modeling biological phenomena as complex systems

Concerning the Epistemology of Design: The Role of the Eco-Cognitive Model of Abduction in Pragmatism

Sensemaking as a goal of science education, abduction as a process of scientific sensemaking

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