484
Views
23
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Middle-School Students’ Reasoning About Alternative Hypotheses in a Scaffolded, Software-Based Inquiry Investigation

Pages 277-311 | Published online: 13 Oct 2009

REFERENCES

  • American Association for the Advancement of Science . 1993 . Benchmarks for science literacy , New York : Oxford University Press .
  • Anderson , D. L. , Fisher , K. M. and Norman , G. J. 2002 . Development and evaluation of the conceptual inventory of natural selection . Journal of Research in Science Teaching , 39 ( 10 ) : 952 – 978 .
  • Bendixen , L. D. and Rule , D. C. 2004 . An integrative approach to personal epistemology: A guiding model . Educational Psychologist , 39 ( 1 ) : 69 – 80 .
  • Bishop , B. A. and Anderson , C. W. 1990 . Student conceptions of natural selection and evolution of living beings in secondary schools . Journal of Research in Science Teaching , : 415 – 427 .
  • Blumenfeld , P. , Soloway , E. , Marx , R. W. , Krajcik , J. S. , Guzdial , M. and Palincsar , A. 1991 . Motivating project-based learning: Sustaining the doing, supporting the learning . Educational Psychologist , 26 : 369 – 398 .
  • Boag , P. T. and Grant , P. R. 1984 . Darwin's Finches (Geospiza) on Isla Daphne Major, Galapagos: Breeding and feeding ecology in a climatically variable environment . Ecological Monographs , 54 ( 4 ) : 463 – 489 .
  • Bullock , M. and Ziegler , A. 1999 . “ Scientific reasoning: Developmental and individual differences ” . In Individual development from three to twelve: Findings from the Munich Longitudinal Study , Edited by: Weinert , F. E. and Schneider , W. 38 – 54 . Cambridge, , UK : Cambridge University Press .
  • Carey , S. , Evans , R. , Honda , M. , Jay , E. and Unger , C. 1989 . An experiment is when you try it and see if it works: A study of grade 7 students’ understanding of the construction of scientific knowledge . International Journal of Science Education , 11 ( 5 ) : 514 – 529 .
  • Carey , S. and Smith , C. 1993 . On understanding the nature of scientific knowledge . Educational Psychologist , 28 ( 3 ) : 235
  • Carney , K. , Golan , R. , Holum , A. , Laczina , E. , Mundt-Leimberer , J. Reiser , B. J. 2002 . The Struggle for Survival: An ecosystems and natural selection project , Evanston, IL : NSF Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools (LeTUS) .
  • Chamberlain , T. C. 1890 . The method of multiple working hypotheses . Science (old series) , 15 ( 92 )
  • Chinn , C. A. and Malhotra , B. A. 2002 . Epistemologically authentic inquiry in schools: A theoretical framework for evaluating inquiry tasks . Science Education , 86 : 175 – 218 .
  • Collins , A. and Ferguson , W. 1993 . Epistemic forms and epistemic games: Structures and strategies to guide inquiry . Educational Psychologist , 28 ( 1 ) : 25 – 42 .
  • Donovan , M. S. and Bransford , J. D. , eds. 2005 . How students learn: Science in the classroom , Washington, DC : The National Academies Press .
  • Dunbar , K. 1993 . Concept discovery in a scientific domain . Cognitive Science , 17 : 397 – 434 .
  • Dunbar , K. and Klahr , D. 1989 . “ Developmental differences in scientific discovery processes ” . In Complex information processing: The impact of Herbert A. Simon , Edited by: Klahr , D. and Kotovsky , K. 109 – 143 . Hillsdale, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates .
  • Fugelsang , J. A. , Stein , C. B. , Green , A. E. and Dunbar , K. N. 2004 . Theory and data interactions of the scientific mind: Evidence from the molecular and the cognitive laboratory . Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology , 58 ( 2 ) : 86 – 95 .
  • George , A. L. and Bennett , A. 2005 . Case studies and theory development in the social sciences , Cambridge, MA : MIT Press .
  • Grant , P. R. , Grant , B. R. , Smith , J. N. M. , Abbott , I. J. and Abbott , L. K. 1976 . Darwin's finches: Population variation and natural selection . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA , 73 ( 1 ) : 257 – 261 .
  • Hofer , B. K. 2004 . Epistemological understanding as a metacognitive process: Thinking aloud during online searching . Educational Psychologist , 39 ( 1 ) : 43 – 55 .
  • Hogan , K. and Maglienti , M. 2001 . Comparing the epistemological underpinnings of students’ and scientists’ reasoning about conclusions . Journal of Research in Science Teaching , 38 ( 6 ) : 663 – 687 .
  • Kesidou , S. and Roseman , J. E. 2002 . How well do middle school science programs measure up? Findings from Project 2061's curriculum review . Journal of Research in ScienceTteaching , 39 ( 6 ) : 522 – 549 .
  • Khishfe , R. and Abd-El Khalick , F. 2002 . Influence of explicit and reflective versus implicit inquiry-oriented instruction on sixth graders’ views of nature of science . Journal of Research in Science Teaching , 39 ( 7 ) : 551 – 578 .
  • Klahr , D. 2000 . Exploring Science: The cognition and development of discovery process , Cambridge, MA : MIT Press .
  • Klahr , D. and Dunbar , K. 1988 . Dual Space search during scientific reasoning . Cognitive Science , 12 : 1 – 48 .
  • Klahr , D. , Fay , A. L. and Dunbar , K. 1993 . Heuristics for scientific experimentation: A developmental study . Cognitive Psychology , 25 : 111 – 146 .
  • Klayman , J. and Ha , Y.-W. 1987 . Confirmation, disconfirmation, and information in hypothesis testing . Psychological Review , 94 ( 2 ) : 211 – 228 .
  • Koslowski , B. 1996 . Theory and evidence: The development of scientific reasoning , Cambridge, MA : MIT Press .
  • Krajcik , J. , Blumenfeld , P. , Marx , R. , Bass , K. M. and Fredricks , J. 1998 . Inquiry in project-based science classrooms: Initial attempts by middle school students . The Journal of the Learning Sciences , 7 ( 3&4 ) : 313 – 350 .
  • Kuhn , D. 1989 . Children and adults as intuitive scientists . Psychological Review , 96 : 674 – 689 .
  • Kuhn , D. 2001 . How do people know? . Psychological Science , 12 ( 1 ) : 1 – 8 .
  • Kuhn , D. , Amsel , E. and O’Loughlin , M. 1988 . The development of scientific thinking skills , San Diego, CA : Academic Press .
  • Lederman , N. G. 2007 . “ Nature of science: Past, present, and future ” . In Handbook of research in science education , Edited by: Abell , S. K. and Lederman , N. G. 831 – 879 . Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum .
  • Lehrer , R. and Schauble , L. 2006 . “ Scientific thinking and science literacy ” . In Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 4. Child psychology in practice, , 6th ed. , Edited by: Damon , R. L. W. , Lerner , R. , Renninger , K. A. and Sigel , I. E. 153 – 196 . Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons .
  • Lehrer , R. , Schauble , L. and Lucas , D. 2008 . Supporting development of the epistemology of inquiry . Cognitive Development , 23 ( 4 ) : 512 – 529 .
  • Lemke , J. L. 1998 . “ Analysing verbal data: Principles, methods and problems ” . In International handbook of science education , Edited by: Fraser , B. J. and Tobin , K. 1175 – 1189 . Dordrecht : Kluwer .
  • Linn , M. C. 2003 . Technology and science education: Starting points, research programs, and trends . International Journal of Science Education , 25 ( 6 ) : 727 – 758 .
  • Metz , K. E. 2004 . Children's understanding of scientific inquiry: Their conceptualization of uncertainty in investigations of their own design . Cognition and Instruction , 22 ( 2 ) : 219 – 290 .
  • Moshman , D. and Thompson , P. A. 1981 . Hypothesis testing in students: Sequences, stages, and instructional strategies . Journal of Research in Science Teaching , 18 ( 4 ) : 341 – 352 .
  • Mynatt , C. R. , Doherty , M. E. and Tweney , R. D. 1977 . “ Confirmation bias in a simulated research environment: An experimental study of scientific inference ” . In Thinking: Readings in cognitive science , Edited by: Johnson-Laird , P. N. and Wason , P. C. 315 – 325 . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press .
  • National Research Council . 1996 . National science education standards. , Washington, DC : National Academy Press .
  • Osborne , R. and Freyberg , P. 1985 . Learning in science: The implications of children's science , Birkenhead, , Auckland : Heinemann Education .
  • Pea , R. D. 2004 . The social and technological dimensions of scaffolding and related theoretical concepts for learning, education, and human activity . The Journal of the Learning Sciences , 13 ( 3 ) : 423 – 451 .
  • Platt , J. 1964 . Strong inference . Science , 196 : 347 – 353 .
  • Popper , K. R. 1963 . Conjectures and refutations. , London : Routledge .
  • Puntambekar , S. and Kolodner , J. L. 2005 . Toward implementing distributed scaffolding: Helping students learn science from design . Journal of Research in Science Teaching , 42 ( 2 ) : 185 – 217 .
  • Quintana , C. , Reiser , B. J. , Davis , E. A. , Krajcik , J. , Fretz , E. Duncan , R. G. 2004 . A scaffolding design framework for software to support science inquiry . The Journal of the Learning Sciences , 13 ( 3 ) : 337 – 386 .
  • Radinsky , J. 2000 . Making sense of complex data: A conceptual framework for studying students’ development of reflective inquiry dispositions , Evanston, IL : Northwestern University . Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation
  • Ratcliffe , M. 1999 . Evaluation of abilities in interpreting media reports of scientific research . International Journal of Science Education , 21 ( 10 ) : 1085 – 1099 .
  • Reiser , B. J. 2004 . Scaffolding complex learning: The mechanisms of structuring and problematizing student work . The Journal of the Learning Sciences , 13 ( 3 ) : 273 – 304 .
  • Reiser , B. J. , Tabak , I. , Sandoval , W. A. , Smith , B. K. , Steinmuller , F. and Leone , A. J. 2001 . “ BGuILE: Strategic and conceptual scaffolds for scientific inquiry in biology classrooms ” . In Cognition and instruction: Twenty-five years of progress , Edited by: Klahr , S. M. C. D. 263 – 305 . Mahwah, NJ : Erlbaum .
  • Rosebery , A. , Warren , B. and Conant , F. 1992 . Appropriating scientific discourse: Findings from language minority classrooms . Journal of the Learning Sciences , 2 : 61 – 94 .
  • Roth , W. M. and Roychoudhury , A. 2003 . Physics students’ epistemologies and views about knowing and learning . Journal of Research in Science Teaching , 40 ( S1 ) : S144 – 159 .
  • Ryder , J. and Leach , J. 2000 . Interpreting experimental data: The views of upper secondary school and university science students . International Journal of Science Education , 22 ( 10 ) : 1069 – 1084 .
  • Sandoval , W. A. 2003 . Conceptual and epistemic aspects of students’ scientific explanations . Journal of the Learning Sciences , 12 ( 1 ) : 5 – 51 .
  • Sandoval , W. A. 2005 . Understanding students’ practical epistemologies and their influence on learning through inquiry . Science Education , 89 ( 4 ) : 634 – 656 .
  • Sandoval , W. A. and Reiser , B. J. 2004 . Explanation-driven inquiry: Integrating conceptual and epistemic scaffolds for scientific inquiry . Science Education , 88 : 345 – 372 .
  • Schauble , L. , Glaser , R. , Duschl , R. A. , Schulze , S. and John , J. 1995 . Students’ understanding of the objectives and procedures of experimentation in the science classroom . The Journal of the Learning Sciences , 4 : 131 – 166 .
  • Smith , C. L. , Maclin , D. , Houghton , C. and Hennessey , M. G. 2000 . Sixth-grade students’ epistemologies of science: The impact of school science experiences on epistemological development . Cognition and Instruction , 18 ( 3 ) : 349 – 422 .
  • Smith , J. N. M. , Grant , P. R. , Grant , B. R. , Abbott , I. J. and Abbott , L. K. 1978 . Seasonal variation in feeding habits of Darwin's Ground Finches . Ecology , 59 ( 6 ) : 1137 – 1150 .
  • Sodian , B. , Zaitchik , D. and Carey , S. 1991 . Young children's differentiation of hypothetical beliefs from evidence . Child Development , 62 : 753 – 766 .
  • Strahler , A. N. 1992 . Understanding science: An introduction to concepts and issues , Prometheus Books .
  • Tabak , I. 1999 . Unraveling the development of scientific literacy: Domain-specific inquiry support in a system of cognitive and social interactions , Evanston, IL : Northwestern University . Unpublished doctoral dissertation
  • Tabak , I. 2004 . Synergy: A complement to emerging patterns of distributed scaffolding . Journal of the Learning Sciences , 13 ( 3 ) : 305 – 355 .
  • Tabak , I. and Baumgartner , E. 2004 . The teacher as partner: Exploring participant structures, symmetry, and identity work in scaffolding . Cognition and Instruction , 22 ( 4 ) : 393 – 429 .
  • Tabak , I. , Reiser , B. J. , Sandoval , W. A. , Leone , T. J. and Steinmuller , F. 2001 . “ BGuILE: The Galapagos Finches—The struggle for survival [Computer software] ” . In The BioQuest library VI , Edited by: Jungck , J. R. San Diego, CA : Academic .
  • Tschirgi , J. E. 1980 . Sensible reasoning: A hypothesis about hypotheses . Child Development , 51 : 1 – 10 .
  • Vellom , R. P. and Anderson , C. W. 1999 . Reasoning about data in middle school science . Journal of Research in Science teaching , 36 ( 2 ) : 179 – 199 .
  • Vygotsky , L. S. 1978 . Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes , Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press .
  • Wason , P. C. 1977 . “ ‘On the failure to eliminate hypotheses…’—A second look ” . In Thinking: Readings in cognitive science , Edited by: Johnson-Laird , P. N. and Wason , P. C. 307 – 314 . Cambridge : Cambridge University Press .
  • Wilkening , F. and Sodian , B. 2005 . Scientific reasoning in young children: Introduction . Swiss Journal of Psychology , 64 ( 3 ) : 137 – 139 .
  • Windschitl , M. 2000 . Supporting the development of science inquiry skills with special classes of software . Educational Technology Research and Development , 48 ( 2 ) : 81 – 95 .
  • Wood , D. , Bruner , J. S. and Ross , G. 1976 . Role of tutoring in problem-solving . Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines , 17 ( 2 ) : 89 – 100 .
  • Yin , R. K. 2003 . Case study research: Design and methods, , 3rd ed. , Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications Inc .
  • Zembal-Saul , C. , Munford , D. , Crawford , B. , Friedrichsen , P. and Land , S. 2002 . Scaffolding preservice science teachers’ evidence-based arguments during an investigation of natural selection . Research in Science Education , 32 : 437 – 463 .
  • Zimmerman , C. 2007 . The development of scientific thinking in elementary and middle school . Developmental Review , 27 : 172 – 223 .

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.