Research trends on argumentation in science education: a journal content analysis from 1998–2014

Abstract

Background: The primary objective of this paper is to provide a review of research on argumentation in science education based on publications from 1998 to 2014 in three science education journals. In recent years, the teaching and learning argumentation (i.e. the coordination of evidence and theory to support or refute an explanatory conclusion, model or prediction) has emerged as a significant educational goal. Argumentation is a critically important discourse process in science and it should be taught and learned in the science classroom as part of scientific inquiry and literacy. Argumentation stresses the evidence-based justification of knowledge claims, and it underpins reasoning across STEM domains. Our aim in this study was to investigate how argumentation has been positioned within the publications of three top academic journals: Science Education, International Journal of Science Education, and Journal of Research in Science Teaching. A methodology for content analysis of the journals is described using quantitative and qualitative techniques. Results: One of the contributions of our analysis is the illustration that researchers studying argumentation from a linguistic perspective have been emphasizing related concepts in different ways. While the emphasis has been on discourse and discussion across all journals, the related concepts of talk, conversation, dialogue and negotiation were observed to a lesser extent. Likewise, the fine-level analysis of the key epistemic concepts such as reasoning, evidence and inquiry indicates variation in coverage. Conclusions: The findings can provide evidence-based indicators for where more emphasis needs to be placed in future research on argumentation, and in particular they can provide guidelines for journals in soliciting articles that target underemphasized aspects of argumentation in science education.

Junior High School Students' Reasoning

“…The process of linking evidence to the claim involves reasoning skills, so the more often students are stimulated to argue with reason and evidence is true, the more often students are trained to reason. Erduran et al (2015) states that the argument has an important role in building explanations, models, and theories as well as scientists who use the argument to link the evidence they choose to claim that they have achieved through the use of warrants and backings [7].…”

Toulmin’s argument pattern as a “horizon of possibilities” in the study of argumentation in science education

“…Pabuccu and Erduran 2017) and instructional (Murphy and Erduran 2013) purposes. Even though argumentation in science education has drawn much attention in recent years as illustrated by trends in journal publications (Erduran, Ozdem, Park 2015), the social relations aspect of argumentation remains a relatively underspecified territory of research. This is no fault of the limitations of Toulmin's framework itself, which we ourselves have acknowledged (Erduran 2007).…”

A Thematic Review of Argumentation Studies at The K-8 Level

“…Argümantasyonun ve fen eğitiminin özellikleri düşünüldüğünde, argümantasyonun fen eğitimde tarihsel süreçte ne tür gelişimler gösterdiğini ortaya koymak, yöntemin kullanımının genel etkisini görebilmek açısından önem teşkil edebilir. Nitekim, bu ihtiyaca cevap vermek için Erduran, Özdem ve Park (2015), argümantasyon çalışmalarının etkililiğini ve bu alandaki eğilimleri belirlemek amacıyla, 1998-2014 yıllarını kapsayan üç önemli dergide (Science Education, International Journal of Science Education ve Journal of Research in Science Teaching) yayınlanan çalışmaları incelemiştir. Çalışmada ele alınan makaleler; yayın yılı, argümantasyonun bilişsel (kanıt bulmak, açıklamak, muhakeme yapmak) ve dilsel (müzakere, konuşma, tartışma vb.)…”