The Assessment of Argumentation and Explanation

Abstract

The theme of my paper is straightforward. Science education policy and decision makers have misplaced goals and priorities for the design of curriculum, instruction and assessment models. I want to argue that a primary emphasis on concept learning--the content of science if you will--is the wrong approach for the principal design of science learning environments. Instead, the primary emphasis should be on the development of tools, criteria, standards and rules students can use to investigate, assess and especially evaluate scientific claims. The idea of shifting the focus of science education to an assessment of knowledge claims is not a new one. The argument is that in addition to the selection of conceptual and sociocultural contexts for the design of curriculum, instruction and assessment models, we must also consider epistemic contexts that promote learners' abilities to engage in, and teachers' capacities to assess, performances that require both the development and the evaluation of scientific claims. For reasons owing to the nature of the structure of scientific knowledge, such performances should emphasize the development and evaluation of scientific arguments, scientific models, and scientific explanations. The first part of the paper continues the argument for focusing curriculum instruction and assessment models on the epistemic goals coupled with concept and performance goals. Specifically, the argument is grounded in contemporary philosophical perspectives of science that support the idea of epistemic rules functioning within communities of scientists. Next the discussion turns to the design of learning environments that support students 'doing' science. In particular, I will focus on the role of assessment during learning and the integrated features of curriculum-instruction-assessment models that promote students development and evaluation of scientific claims. Examples of student work and science-in-the-making instruction are included here. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for future directions of research on science learning environments that seek to promote the teaching of science as inquiry employing epistemic contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)