TY - JOUR
T1 - High school students' informal reasoning regarding a socio-scientific issue, with relation to scientific epistemological beliefs and cognitive structures
AU - Wu, Ying Tien
AU - Tsai, Chin Chung
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding of this research work was supported by the National Science Council, Taiwan, under grant no. NSC 97-2511-S-142-005-MY3 and NSC 95-2511-S-011-003-MY3.
PY - 2011/2
Y1 - 2011/2
N2 - This study investigated the relationship among 68 high school students' scientific epistemological beliefs (SEBs), cognitive structures regarding nuclear power usage, and their informal reasoning regarding this issue. Moreover, the ability of students' SEBs as well as their cognitive structures for predicting their informal reasoning regarding this issue was also examined. The participants' SEBs were assessed with a quantitative instrument; their cognitive structures were assessed through taperecorded interviews and were further analyzed with the 'flow map method'; their reasoning regarding nuclear power usage was assessed with an open-ended questionnaire; and, then, their responses were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. It was revealed that students' beliefs about the justification of scientific knowledge (an aspect of the beliefs on the nature of knowingscience) were significantly correlated with their reasoning quality; the extent and the richness of students' cognitive structures as well as their usage of the information processing mode, 'comparing,' were positively correlated with their reasoning quality. A series of regression analyses further confirmed that students' use of the information processing mode, 'comparing,' was the most significant factor for predicting reasoning quality, while their beliefs regarding the justification of scientific knowledge was the other important predictor.
AB - This study investigated the relationship among 68 high school students' scientific epistemological beliefs (SEBs), cognitive structures regarding nuclear power usage, and their informal reasoning regarding this issue. Moreover, the ability of students' SEBs as well as their cognitive structures for predicting their informal reasoning regarding this issue was also examined. The participants' SEBs were assessed with a quantitative instrument; their cognitive structures were assessed through taperecorded interviews and were further analyzed with the 'flow map method'; their reasoning regarding nuclear power usage was assessed with an open-ended questionnaire; and, then, their responses were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. It was revealed that students' beliefs about the justification of scientific knowledge (an aspect of the beliefs on the nature of knowingscience) were significantly correlated with their reasoning quality; the extent and the richness of students' cognitive structures as well as their usage of the information processing mode, 'comparing,' were positively correlated with their reasoning quality. A series of regression analyses further confirmed that students' use of the information processing mode, 'comparing,' was the most significant factor for predicting reasoning quality, while their beliefs regarding the justification of scientific knowledge was the other important predictor.
KW - Argumentation
KW - Cognitive structures
KW - High school
KW - Qualitative research
KW - Quantitative research
KW - Reasoning
KW - Scientific epistemological beliefs
KW - Socio-scientific issue
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79951688889&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09500690903505661
DO - 10.1080/09500690903505661
M3 - 期刊論文
AN - SCOPUS:79951688889
SN - 0950-0693
VL - 33
SP - 371
EP - 400
JO - International Journal of Science Education
JF - International Journal of Science Education
IS - 3
ER -