Argumentation, the justification of claims with reasons and/or evidence, has emerged as a significant educational goal in science education in recent years. It has also been noted as an important ...pedagogical approach in numerous school subjects. Yet, there is limited understanding of how teachers’ views of argumentation and its teaching compare in different school subjects. In order to ensure coherence in the implementation of the school curriculum, it is important to understand such views particularly in the context of subjects that are often positioned to be in conflict with each other, for example in the context of science versus religious education. In this paper, we present an empirical study on how science and religious education teachers view argumentation and its teaching. The data are drawn from a survey of secondary school teachers of 11–16-year-old students in England. Twenty-nine teachers were presented with an online survey in order to collect data on various aspects of their views including pedagogical strategies that support argumentation. Qualitative and quantitative results suggest that teachers of both subjects consider argumentation to be a significant aspect of their subject although particular nuances exist in how the teachers interpret argumentation. Furthermore, the data suggest that there are statistically significant differences in terms of the perceived frequency of pedagogical strategies used to support argumentation in lessons.
There is substantial body of literature in science education focusing on students' understanding of the theory of evolution by natural selection. However, despite decades of research on the evolution ...versus creationism debate there is still widespread concern that particular misconceptions about evolution persist. The study aimed to recalibrate the evolution versus creationism debate by engaging students in an argumentation task where students can interpret evidence and reasons for why either position is justified or not, and on what basis. A card sort activity used to investigate the students' use of evidence and reasons. A sample of 77 students with an average age of 13 participated in the study in England in the context of a funded research project. The findings pointed to challenges and opportunities in teaching and learning of evolution through an argumentation task where alternative perspectives are drawn from both science and religious education. Furthermore, they illustrated how argumentation tasks can potentially provide a context for students to explore cross-subject topics. Research about the immersion of students in tasks that support their argumentation can generate understanding of students' reasoning, and ultimately such research may lead to the design of lesson resources to support students' engagement in science.
Argumentation has emerged as a key area of research and development in science education in recent years. Simply defined, argumentation is about the justification of knowledge claims with evidence ...and reasons. Although there is now a vast amount of work in argumentation, much research remains to be pursued. Given the interdisciplinary nature of argumentation, the dialogue between science education and other relevant domains can potentially produce constructive research agendas that could profit argumentation research and lead to practical applications. Following an overview of the relevant interdisciplinary investigations that can be pursued in science education, the paper subsequently focuses on the interphase of science and religion. Although science education research has witnessed considerable debate about particular issues related to science and religion such as the teaching and learning of evolution and creationism, the role of argumentation remains an uncharted territory. Hence, the paper focuses on how argumentation may be explored in science and religious education in comparison. Some preliminary observations from the
Oxford Argumentation in Religion and Science
(OARS) Project are reported including a comparative analysis of curricula and teachers’ views. Implications for interdisciplinarity in the context of argumentation in science education are discussed.
Persistent concerns about the theory-practice gap and desires for an ‘evidence-informed’ teaching profession have prompted research into how teachers' epistemic beliefs influence their acceptance or ...rejection of educational research. This study analyses longitudinal interview data from six pre-service teachers (PSTs) to explore how experiences of conducting research (in the domains of science or education) during initial teacher education (ITE) contribute to epistemological development. These research experiences provided opportunities for ad-hoc epistemological development, even in the absence of intentional efforts. Epistemic beliefs sometimes appeared to be supplanted, counterproductively, from science to education. The implications for teacher education and research are discussed.
•Pre-service teachers (PSTs) engaged in a yearlong research project in science or Education Studies.•Though some PSTs showed epistemological development, these appeared to be ad-hoc rather than intentionally planned.•Development in one discipline did not appear to necessitate development in the other.•PSTs need support in epistemological development and navigating epistemic boundaries between different disciplines.•Key considerations are raised for teacher educators integrating research experiences in Initial Teacher Education (ITE).
Teachers’ engagement with and in educational research has become an aspiration in many countries. However, this has been counterbalanced with decades of research on the perennial theory-practice ...divide. This study provides new perspectives by considering the role of epistemic beliefs in pre-service science teachers’ (PSSTs’) acceptance or rejection of “Education Studies” from their Initial Teacher Education (ITE). Individual case profiles demonstrate how PSSTs compare knowledge in science with knowledge in education. Certain belief profiles can be seen to present barriers to evaluating education research as valuable. Thus, we argue for epistemic development and support with boundary crossing in ITE.
•Epistemic beliefs appear to influence pre-service teachers’ (PSTs’) evaluation of the utility of education theory and research.•Extreme epistemic comparisons between knowledge in science and education can pose particular challenges for PSTs.•PSTs need support in crossing epistemic boundaries between different areas of their professional knowledge.
The importance of developing students’ argumentation skills is well established across the curriculum: students should grasp how claims are made and supported in different disciplines. One challenge ...is to follow and thereby agree with or critique the arguments of others, which requires perspective-taking, in tracing these other reasons and reasoning. This challenge is increased when disciplines construct argumentation and perspective-taking differently. Here, we consider the role of perspective-taking in argumentation within and between science education and pluralistic religious education, where the former aims at the justification of scientific claims and the latter at both an empathetic understanding of different religions and worldviews, and personal reasoning. We interpretively analyze student data to identify salient features of students’ strategies to perspective-taking within argumentation. Data from 324 pupils across nine schools are explored in relation to students’ challenges in perspective-taking, strategies for perspective-taking within argumentation, and the use of perspective-taking to construct personal argumentation. The analysis shows some barriers to perspective-taking within argumentation, the range of students’ perspective-taking strategies within argumentation, and how personal argumentation could hermeneutically build upon perspective-taking strategies. The importance and implications of perspective-taking within argumentation across the curriculum are considered highlighting challenges in the etic/emic shift, both within the individual subject as well as across them, and some reflections on how this provides a fresh pedagogical perspective on the science/religions debate are made. To end, we conclude with the wider challenges for disciplines and perspective-taking across schooling and university.
Argumentation is widely recognised as a core practice of science, but the relation between argumentation in the teaching of science in contrast to the teaching of other school subjects has not been ...sufficiently addressed. In this study, we investigate science and religious education (RE) teachers' instructional practices related to argumentation in lower secondary lessons in England. Through qualitative analysis of a pair of science and RE teachers' instructional practices, we characterise how the teachers participating in a professional development project understand and teach argumentation. Data sources included questionnaires, lesson materials, classroom video recordings, and written teacher reflections. Findings suggest that both teachers recognised the value of argumentation in their subject, but some variations existed in the nuances of their views and particularly how different instructional strategies were utilised to achieve the lesson goals related to argumentation. The study highlights the teachers' different understandings and enactments of argumentation as a disciplinary practice and an instructional objective in science and RE lessons. We call for further consideration of argumentation in different school subjects and how argumentation can enrich science teaching in interdisciplinary contexts.
For the last 28 years, one of the leading international science education organisations has regularly provided a week‐long summer school experience for doctoral students. In summer 2020, the COVID‐19 ...pandemic prevented international travel and close‐contact interactions between scholars. This required the transformation and relocation of learning interactions between mentors and doctoral students online through a virtual week‐long summer school. All doctoral participants, from across the five continents, were invited to reflectively comment on their educative experience after the online event. This paper consequently presents the perspectives of these science education PhD students who engaged with the transformed virtual summer school to consider how the range of varied online interactions maintained the learning opportunities for them and enabled their introduction to an established research community. The study indicates how the digital activities facilitated and maintained high‐quality learning exchanges through a varied array of intellectual activities involving both experienced and novice scholars. The findings demonstrate how successful academic outcomes can be achieved remotely while minimising international travel and significantly reducing financial outlay. This was achieved through creatively structuring a week‐long virtual experience and combining a series of synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities for different groupings of participants within the international summer school community.
Practitioner notes
What is already known about this topic
Doctoral students often feel that studying for their research degree is a very solitary experience.
Supporting doctoral students to discuss their research with peers and more experienced others can address the feelings of isolation.
The pandemic restricting face‐to‐face interaction constrains how learning can unfold in online contexts.
It is possible to provide doctoral support through online means, however, the exact nature of such is not clearly defined.
What this paper adds
Clear evidence that doctoral learning communities involving university students and tutors can be successfully developed through online virtual environments.
That online working can afford and extend doctoral learning, develop beginning researcher identities and provide students the opportunity to become part of an international research community whatever their geographical setting and prior socio‐cultural experiences.
Clarity about the nature of online activities that ensure an appropriate blend of the kind of synchronous and asynchronous interactions that effectively support virtual online doctoral learning.
The Community of Practice COP theoretical framework can offer a useful way of looking at different dimensions of higher degree learning.
Implications for practice and/or policy
This paper provides advice for those who would like to develop their own virtual learning networks that bring together learners from universities and wider organisations to develop a community of learning.
That an appropriate blend of synchronous and asynchronous interactions can mediate and support doctoral students, aiding them to effectively become more knowledgeable members of an international research community within a short space of time.
That international virtual events can successfully achieve learning outcomes while also minimising overseas travel, significantly reducing financial expenditure and individual carbon footprints.
The importance of developing students' ability to argue effectively is generally recognised across the curriculum, however what this means within religious education has not been thoroughly ...investigated. We explore this issue first through an initial review of both wider philosophical and curriculum literature on argumentation, notably Toulmin's work, and then a review of relevant research within religious education. We then describe our curriculum analysis, addressing three research questions focusing on the frequency, purpose and conceptualisation of argumentation, though a mixed-methods curriculum analysis of locally agreed syllabuses across England (LASs). A quantitative analysis of frequency in thirty-five LASs showed that although argumentation was never mentioned, other cognates were always present. A detailed qualitative analysis of six LASs showed that its purpose was linked to personal expression within democratic participation, and epistemic and empathetic flexibility. Using Toulmin's model of argumentation as a frame, it is generally conceptualised around the elements of claim, evidence and rebuttal, but the precise nature of evidence, warrant and backing are not explicit, especially as the field-dependent elements are unspecified. The implications of these findings for both general conceptualisations of argumentation and curriculum development within religious education are outlined.
Argumentation, that is the coordination of evidence and reasons to support claims, is an important skill for democratic society, developing subject-specific literacies, and can be embedded in ...multiple school subjects. While argumentation has been extensively researched in science education, interdisciplinary argumentation is less explored, particularly between subjects where collaboration is not the norm, such as science and religious education (RE). Yet everyday issues often involve considering information from multiple sources, such as scientific information or ethical, moral, or religious perspectives.
The purpose of this study was to better understand students' abilities in argumentation within and across the school subjects of science and RE to inform research and practice of interdisciplinary argumentation.
The participants of this study were 457 students, aged between 11 and 14 years, from 10 secondary schools in England. Following data cleaning, 394 student responses were analysed.
Students completed simultaneous written assessments for argumentation in three tasks which are situated within three different subject contexts: (1) science (2) RE, and (3) an interdisciplinary context which involved argumentation from science and RE.
In each of the three contexts, high proportions of students achieve all available marks for identifying claims and evidence. These proportions drop when constructing the link between claim and evidence (warrant) and constructing an evaluative argument. Higher performances were generally noted in the context of science and that students experience particular challenges in argumentation in the RE scenario.
This study contributes to our understanding of the challenges and successes of students' argumentation within and across the subjects of science and RE. Implications for both research and practice are discussed.
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