The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of Education STUDENTS’ WRITTEN ARGUMENTATION STRUCTURE FROM AN INTRODUCTORY OCEANOGRAPHY COURSE: ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION A Thesis in Curriculum and Instruction by Emily Jane Diefendorf © 2008 Emily Jane Diefendorf Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science May 2008 The thesis of Emily Jane Diefendorf was reviewed and approved* by the following: Gregory J. Kelly Professor of Education Thesis Advisor Head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction Scott McDonald Assistant Professor of Education Carla Zembal-Saul Associate Professor of Education *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. ii ABSTRACT Students’ written argumentation structure from an introductory oceanography course: Analysis and Evaluation The purpose of this study was to examine ways that students create arguments derived from inscriptions, expertise, and data. The context of this study was an introductory oceanography course with an emphasis on writing that was mainly composed of non- science majors. During the course, students wrote evidence-based arguments on such issues as plate tectonics, monsoons of India, climate change, and fishery health. A random sample of fifteen students’ papers for each of the four written arguments was analyzed to evaluate the students’ construction of evidence and the overall quality of the arguments, which was used to compare across students and assignments. Results reveal students were only partially able to write plausible arguments in the scientific genre. Students used inscriptions, data, and expertise to introduce lines of reasoning, but were often unable to engage in the theoretical aspects of constructing valid scientific arguments. Additionally, average quality scores for each of the assignments improved throughout the time of the class, suggesting students were better able to construct arguments with time. Writing to learn science provides students opportunities to engage in scientific inquiry; however, more opportunities need to exist for students to practice creating arguments. An emphasis should be placed on including argumentation in schools to further the students’ development of scientific reasoning. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ..............................................................................................................................................vi LIST OF FIGURES ...........................................................................................................................................vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...............................................................................................................................ix CHAPTER I ..........................................................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................................1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ......................................................................................................................................4 LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................................................................6 Previous Written Argumentation in Introductory University Oceanography Studies .............................6 Previous K-12 Written Argumentation Studies ..........................................................................................9 Previous Discourse Studies .......................................................................................................................12 CHAPTER II ......................................................................................................................................................14 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK............................................................................................................................14 Scientific Inquiry & Inquiry Learning ......................................................................................................15 Scientific Writing........................................................................................................................................16 Scientific Literacy.......................................................................................................................................17 CHAPTER III.....................................................................................................................................................19 BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................................................19 Educational Setting ....................................................................................................................................19 Course Assignments ...................................................................................................................................20 METHODS FOR ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................23 Analysis of the Students’ Work..................................................................................................................24 1) Pose Solvable Research Question .......................................................................................................................34 2) Within Lines of Reasoning ..................................................................................................................................35 (a)Use Data Inscriptions or Data from Secondary Sources ..............................................................................35 (b) Articulate Multiple Lines of Reasoning........................................................................................................36 3) Across Lines of Reasoning ..................................................................................................................................36 (a) Use Models to Support Conclusions.............................................................................................................36 (b) Coherence Across Lines of Reasoning .........................................................................................................37 (c) Sufficiency of Lines of Reasoning ................................................................................................................37 4) Quality of Argument.............................................................................................................................................38 PROCEDURE......................................................................................................................................................38 CONSTRAINTS...................................................................................................................................................40 CHAPTER IV .....................................................................................................................................................41 FINDINGS ..........................................................................................................................................................41 iv 1) Pose Solvable Research Question..........................................................................................................45 2) Within the Lines of Reasoning ................................................................................................................45 3) Across Lines of Reasoning ......................................................................................................................52 4) Quality of Argument ................................................................................................................................54 ON RESEARCH DESIGN ....................................................................................................................................57 CHAPTER V.......................................................................................................................................................59 DISCUSSION......................................................................................................................................................59 IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................................................61 APPENDIX A: Anatomy of a Science Paper .................................................................................................64 APPENDIX B: Plate Tectonics Assignment ..................................................................................................76 APPENDIX C: Peer Review Rubric ...............................................................................................................77 APPENDIX D: Monsoons Assignment ...........................................................................................................84 APPENDIX E: Oceans & Climate Assignment.............................................................................................85 APPENDIX F: Fishery Health Assignment ...................................................................................................87 APPENDIX G: Student Scores