A Design-Based Study Of Scientific Argumentation In Middle School ——Through The Lens Of Actor-Network Theory

Science education shifts its focus from scientific inquiry to scientific practices.As an indispensable element of scientific practices,scientific argumentation instructions have gained much attention.However,it is not easy to implement.This research discussed how to design the learning environments for productive scientific argumentation based on the previous papers,developed practice plans with the teacher,analyzed the mechanics of learning and teaching in the scientific argumentation,and thought about how to promote argumentation instruction.Sociology of Scientific Knowledge(SSK)explored scientists' typical practice of producing knowledge.Bruno Latour followed the scientists' arguments,entered into the production process of scientific facts,and put forward Actor-Network Theory.This theory provides a way of understanding and analyzing the knowledge construction and diffusion.In light of ANT,any change of learning is the effect of actors' interactions,resulting from the development of the networks.This study collected the videos of 46 6th-grade science classes,around 475 minutes of teacher interviews,field notes,and other artifacts,transcribed 16 video clips of argumentation.I coded,described and interpreted the classroom discourse,and then I developed the ANT Analysis Diagrams.In the science classroom argumentation in the middle school,students often provided or requested more information about the statements to negotiate the discrepancies,making their conditions and processes of production clearer.With the modification going on,students constructed science knowledge developed more sound arguments and gained a better understanding of the complexities.The teacher was responsive to students' performances and flexibly mediated the classroom discourse.When students provided or requested more information,the teacher would avoid taking turns.When students did not articulate the production of the statements,the teacher would guide them to explain or provide explanations to help them make sense of these statements.This study suggests that productive scientific argumentation is to continually construct and deconstruct the relationships among entities,and the lack or weakness of the relationships produces uncertainties.The instruction design of scientific argumentation could focus on a specific relationship.Teacher talk moves should support students' dealing with the involved uncertainties and elicit students' thinking.To promote the scientific practices,teachers are supposed to update their notions and gain adequate support.