Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2011 Middle School Students' Conceptual Change in Global Climate Change: Using Argumentation to Foster Knowledge Construction Barry W. (Barry Wade) Golden Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS‘ CONCEPTUAL CHANGE IN GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE: USING ARGUMENTATION TO FOSTER KNOWLEDGE CONSTRUCTION By BARRY W GOLDEN A Dissertation submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2011 The members of the committee approve the dissertation of Barry W. Golden defended on June 10, 2011. _______________________________________ Sherry A. Southerland Professor Directing dissertation _______________________________________ Paul Ruscher University Representative _______________________________________ Victor Sampson Committee Member _______________________________________ Jeff Milligan Committee Member Approved: _____________________________________ Lawrence C. Scharmann, Chair, School of Teacher Education The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members. ii Dedicated to: my wife Shari iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This has been a long journey in which I have relied upon the assistance of others to an exorbitant degree. I would like to express my extreme gratitude to my major professor, Sherry Southerland, for her assertive nurturing of my scholarly talents in ways too numerous to mention. Likewise, my other committee members have provided immeasurable help. Vic Sampson introduced me to argumentation, and was supportive of my project at all times. Paul Ruscher helped shape my thinking about climate change through numerous content discussions. Jeff Milligan‘s classes in philosophy shaped my overall thinking about education. In addition, the comments provided by each of my committee members have provided insights which have shaped not only this document but also my total understanding of what it means to be a scholar. The person that provided the most assistance to me was my wife Shari Buckingham. She showed an amazing degree of patience and tolerance while I was physically and/or mentally preoccupied during the course of my doctoral studies, and was somehow still supportive of me. I must also thank my parents, Lynn and Kirsten Golden, for the value systems which I inherited or learned, including the respect for academia, and for keeping me grounded. A belated ―thank you‖ must also be extended to my grandfather, Olaf Hov, for the pride he showed in my academic prowess, which secretly powered me through moments of doubt. I cannot possibly express enough thanks to other colleagues and friends at FSU and the local science education community. Judy King was an incredible mentor for me as a science teacher. Willie Brown generously provided his middle school classroom for my pilot study needs. Ms. ―Octane‖, obviously, provided her classroom and her students for the dissertation research project. She was selfless in providing this and other extended help which I needed. My peers at FSU provided immeasurable support of both technical and emotional dimensions. Jonathon Grooms and Patrick Enderle helped me in timescales more convenient for me than for them. Three colleagues provided particular help in regards to test-piloting my climate change unit in conference settings: Bob Lutz, Beth Kostka, and Martin Balinsky. Additionally, one member of the FSU community is probably as responsible as any for the overall direction of my academic journey: George Dawson, who first recruited me as a science teacher. Thanks also to Meg Blanchard, the first mentor/colleague to make me think that I might not only be able to teach science, but that I might actually be very good at it! iv Also, I want to thank my colleagues at OSTA for their friendship, professionalism, and support. First and foremost in this regard is Ellen Granger, who has been most understanding as I have juggled my professional and academic goals. Lastly, I want to thank the children involved in this research, who amazed me with their eagerness to help me: ―Beyonce‖, ―Bono‖, ―Darko‖, ―Nigella‖, and ―Shania‖. Without them none of this was possible. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iv table of contents ............................................................................................................................. vi List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. x List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ xi Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... xii Chapter One .................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 Statement of Problem and Research Questions .......................................................................... 3 Chapter Two.................................................................................................................................... 5 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................................................................ 5 Global Warming/Global Climate Change ................................................................................... 5 Educational Policy Concerning Global Warming or Global Climate Change ......................... 10 Reform Literature, National and State Science Frameworks and Initiatives ............................ 10 Research on learning about GCC .............................................................................................. 13 GCC & Greenhouse Effect.................................................................................................... 13 GCC and the NOS ................................................................................................................. 14 Conceptual Change Theory .................................................................................................. 17 Argumentation....................................................................................................................... 27 Summary of Literature Review ................................................................................................. 34 Chapter Three................................................................................................................................ 35 METHODS ................................................................................................................................... 35 Research Design........................................................................................................................ 36 vi Research Setting.................................................................................................................... 36 Participants ........................................................................................................................... 36 Instruction ............................................................................................................................. 38 Data Collection ..................................................................................................................... 41 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 45 Quality of Research............................................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER FOUR ......................................................................................................................... 48 CLASSROOM CULTURE ........................................................................................................... 48 The School ................................................................................................................................ 48 The Course and Classroom ................................................................................................... 49 The Teacher .......................................................................................................................... 50 The Class ............................................................................................................................... 52 The Interview Participants .................................................................................................... 52 The researcher’s role in the study and setting ...................................................................... 55 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER FIVE .......................................................................................................................... 58 DESCRIPTION OF CONCEPTUAL