Student Difficulties in Socio-scientific Argumentation and Decision-making Research Findings: Crossing the borders of two research lines

Acar Ö. , Türkmen L., Roychoudhury A.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION, vol.32, pp.1191-1206, 2010 (Journal Indexed in SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 32
  • Publication Date: 2010
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/09500690902991805
  • Title of Journal : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION
  • Page Numbers: pp.1191-1206
  • Keywords: Argumentation, Literature review, Nature of science, Socio-scientific argumentation, Decision-making, Heuristics, SOCIOSCIENTIFIC ISSUES, SCIENCE, CONSTRUCTION, PSYCHOLOGY, KNOWLEDGE, PATTERNS, THINKING, BELIEFS

Abstract

Students' poor argumentation in the context of socio-scientific issues has become a concern in science education. Identified problems associated with student argumentation in socio-scientific issues are misevaluation of evidence, naive nature of science conceptualizations, and inappropriate use of value-based reasoning. In this theoretical paper, the authors propose that incorporation of decision-making research findings to argumentation research may help students overcome these problematic areas. For this aim, decision-making research findings about value-focused decision-making framework and common heuristics have been discussed. Specifically, the authors propose that explicit teaching of argumentation research should provide students a decision-making framework in which students can consider their values about a socio-scientific issue and assess different alternatives as well as incorporate teaching about common heuristics. The authors believe that this incorporation is necessary for a quality student argumentation in socio-scientific issues.