PERC 2013 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Progression of hypothesis generation and evidence evaluation skills among university students |
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| Abstract: | Scientific reasoning skills have recently re-entered the spotlight as the new framework for science standards came into being. At the tertiary level, reasoning skills such as hypothesis generation and evidence evaluation are equally deemed as a central learning goal in introductory science courses. Presumably, as students learn more content-oriented domain knowledge, their reasoning skills are expected to increase correspondingly. Prior cognitive and educational research has also predominantly supported this view of mutually corroborative relationship between content learning and reasoning skills. Drawing on this basis, this paper empirically investigates the influence of content learning on the development of college students' scientific reasoning skills. Students from four grade levels (grades 13-16), representing individuals exposed to different amount of content learning, took the Lawson's Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR). Cross-grade comparisons show little progression in student reasoning skills measured by the LCTSR. Implications of the current study for higher education are discussed. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Lin Ding Department of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University 1945 N. High Street Columbus, OH 43210 Phone: 614-688-8377 |
