Bridging scientific reasoning and conceptual change through adaptive web‐based learning

Abstract

This study reports an adaptive digital learning project, Scientific Concept Construction and Reconstruction (SCCR), and examines its effects on 108 8th grade students' scientific reasoning and conceptual change through mixed methods. A one-group pre-, post-, and retention quasi-experimental design was used in the study. All students received tests for Atomic Achievement, Scientific Reasoning, and Atomic Dependent Reasoning before, 1 week after, and 8 weeks after learning. A total of 18 students, six from each class, were each interviewed for 1 hour before, immediately after, and 2 months after learning. A flow map was used to provide a sequential representation of the flow of students' scientific narrative elicited from the interviews, and to further analyze the level of scientific reasoning and conceptual change. Results show students' concepts of atoms, scientific reasoning, and conceptual change made progress, which is consistent with the interviewing results regarding the level of scientific reasoning and quantity of conceptual change. This study demonstrated that students' conceptual change and scientific reasoning could be improved through the SCCR learning project. Moreover, regression results indicated students' scientific reasoning contributed more to their conceptual change than to the concepts students held immediately after learning. It implies that scientific reasoning was pivotal for conceptual change and prompted students to make associations among new mental sets and existing hierarchical structure-based memory. ß

Exploring effectiveness of simulation-based inquiry learning in science with integration of formative assessment

“…The findings from the research studies showed the importance of a cognitive domain on learners' process of conceptual change toward better conceptual understanding in science (e.g., She 2004;She and Liao 2010;Srisawasdi et al 2013;Srisawasdi and Kroothkeaw 2014). However, how conceptual change happens or how students progress during conceptual understanding in science is a somewhat blurry picture for many science educational researchers.…”

“…Through this taxonomy, the students' cognitive processes of conceptual change were captured. Moreover, in an attempt to quantify the mechanical change of students' conceptual understanding, She and Liao (2010) proposed the idea for analysis of conceptual change as follows: (a) progress (PG); (b) maintain-correct (MTC); (c) maintainpartial correct (MTPC); (d) maintain-incorrect (MTIC); (e) retrogression (RTG). Researchers argue that actively engaging students in the process of conceptual change are important for development of conceptual understanding in science.…”

Examination of Learning Equity among Prospective Science Teachers Who are Concrete, Formal and Postformal Reasoners after an Argumentation-Based Inquiry Course

“…The authors found a strong positive relation between students' scientific reasoning skills and their conceptual knowledge gains. Liao and She (2009), and She and Liao (2010) also found that 8 th grader high scientific reasoners' conceptual knowledge gains were higher than other 8 th graders after a web-based learning unit. Similarly, Ates and Cataloglu (2007) investigated the relation of students' scientific reasoning with their conceptual knowledge and problemsolving skills in an introductory mechanics course.…”

“…More importantly, scientific reasoning explained more of the variance in student achievement scores than self-efficacy. Similarly, She and Liao (2010) examined the relation of 8 th graders' scientific reasoning and conceptual knowledge with their achievement on a unit about atoms. Authors found that most of the variance in students' achievement was explained by their scientific reasoning scores.…”

“…In addition, as argumentation is evidence-based reasoning, any result regarding this issue would be more meaningful if the performances of students with different reasoning levels were compared. Since the students' scientific reasoning skills were found to significantly predict student science achievement and conceptual knowledge in science classes (Ates & Cataloglu, 2007;Coletta & Phillips, 2005;Johnson & Lawson, 1998;Lawson, Banks, & Logvin, 2007;She & Liao, 2010), we think that students can be grouped under this variable to better analyze performance of students with different levels of reasoning ability in argumentation-based inquiry instruction.…”