Mapping Children's Discussions of Evidence in Science to Assess Collaboration and Argumentation

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Mapping Children's Discussions of Evidence in Science to Assess Collaboration and Argumentation

Maloney, Jane; Simon, Shirley; (2006) Mapping Children's Discussions of Evidence in Science to Assess Collaboration and Argumentation. International Journal of Science Education , 28 (15) pp. 1817-1841. Green open access

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Abstract

The research reported in this paper concerns the development of children's skills of interpreting and evaluating evidence in science. Previous studies have shown that school teaching often places limited emphasis on the development of these skills, which are necessary for children to engage in scientific debate and decision-making. The research, undertaken in the UK, involved four collaborative decision-making activities to stimulate group discussion, each was carried out with five groups of four children (10-11 years old). The research shows how the children evaluated evidence for possible choices and judged whether their evidence was sufficient to support a particular conclusion or the rejection of alternative conclusions. A mapping technique was developed to analyse the discussions and identify different "levels" of argumentation. The authors conclude that suitable collaborative activities that focus on the discussion of evidence can be developed to exercise children's ability to argue effectively in making decisions.

Type:	Article
Title:	Mapping Children's Discussions of Evidence in Science to Assess Collaboration and Argumentation
Open access status:	An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Language:	English
Additional information:	Field of science education. A qualitative study of children's use of evidence in decision-making activities in science. A new methodological approach developed to map children's discussions and to identify different 'levels' of argumentation AND ASSESS COLLABORATION IN GROUP WORK. RESEARCH WAS PART FUNDED BY THE ROSALIND FRANKLIN STUDENTSHIP. Invitation received to provide a summary of the paper for The Science Education Review. CONTRIBUTES TO KNOWLEDGE OF EFFECTIVE GROUP AND ARGUMENTATION IN SCIENCE AS THIS RESEARCH FOCUSED ON CHILDREN, AGED 10-11 YEARS OLD. THE RESEARCH WAS BASED ON A 2 YEAR STUDY OF 13 GROUPS OF CHILDREN ENGAGED IN DECISION-MAKING ACTIVITIES IN SCIENCE. Article peer reviewed by 2 international referees. 80% contribution by Jane Maloney. ABSTRACT PRESENT This is an electronic version of an article published in Maloney, Jane and Simon, Shirley (2006) Mapping Children's Discussions of Evidence in Science to Assess Collaboration and Argumentation. International Journal of Science Education, 28 (15). pp. 1817-1841. International Journal of Science Education is available online at: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1080/09500690600855419
UCL classification:	UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
URI:	https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10000650