The role of language in students’ justifications of scientific phenomena

Making decisions and constructing arguments with scientific evidence and reasoning are essential skills for all members of society, especially in a world facing complex socioscientific issues (climate change, global pandemics, etc.). Argumentation is a complex linguistic practice, but little is known about how students from diverse language backgrounds engage in argumentation. The goal of this study was to identify how students’ English language proficiency/history was associated with the reasoning demonstrated in their written arguments. We found that students with lower English proficiency and less English history produced fewer causal responses compared to students with higher English language proficiency and history. Follow-up interviews with fifteen participants revealed that students’ comfort communicating in English on assessments depended on a combination of general and academic language experiences. Findings suggest a need to identify what barriers students from diverse language backgrounds encounter during argumentation to ensure students from all language backgrounds have equitable opportunities to demonstrate their abilities.

Learning About Viruses: Representing Covid-19

Covid-19 has significantly impacted children’s lives, requiring them to process multiple messages with significant emotional, social, and behavioural implications. Yet, the vast majority of these messages solely focus on behaviour. This is an oversight as children and young people can understand the biological properties and mechanisms of viruses when supported appropriately, thereby presenting an important opportunity for educators. However, like many other invisible scientific phenomena, understanding of viruses greatly depends upon how they are represented. Thus, we sought to understand the relative benefits and limitations of different forms for learning about the underlying biology of Covid-19. Applying an embodied learning lens, we analysed pictures, 3d models, gestures, dynamic visualisations, interactive representations, and extended reality identified through a state-of-the art-review. In so doing, we address the affordances and limitations of these forms in general and variation within them. We used this to develop a representational checklist that teachers and other adults can use to help them support children and young people’s learning about the biology of Covid-19.

Preschoolers’ use and exploration of concepts related to scientific phenomena in preschool

The study described in this paper concerns science education in preschool, more specifically how young children in preschool settings invent, develop and explore science and scientific concepts in problem-solving and communicative situations. The aim of the paper is to discuss young children´s concept creation and draw conclusions for early science education. The method used was a secondary analysis of empirical material drawn from three previous studies carried out by the authors. Examples of preschool children’s use of language were extracted and was, for the purpose of this study, analyzed with a new focus on children’s use of concepts. The re-analysis draws from Vygotsky’s theoretical framework on children’s conceptual development and appropriation of new concepts (Vygotsky, 1934/1999; Åkerblom 2011) and from the later Wittgenstein (1986) on the role of language meaning in understanding. The findings underline the importance of allowing preschool children to invent, develop and explore science and technology concepts, as well as implications for preschool teachers to create dialogic spaces for the children to do so. The limitations of the study are however that it is based on a limited number of examples and even though it can give implications and point out directions, is not conclusive and should be followed by further research.

Propeller Clock using Arduino Nano Micro-controller

Once John Lubbock rightfully propounded, “What we see depends mainly on what we look for”. Perfection is a just a illusion whereas Perception is the real vision. This “illusion” is based on inertia of human eye. Propeller clock is a special kind of circular LED display. It is making use of POV, a scientific phenomena termed as ‘Persistence of Vision’, which means that if something appears in the same spot consistently, at least 50-60 times per second, our brains think that it’s permanently there when it is not. The term ‘Persistence of Vision display’ or ‘POV display’ has been used for LED display devices that compose images by displaying one spatial portion at a time in rapid succession (for example, one column of pixels every few milliseconds). A two-dimensional POV display is often accomplished by means of rapidly moving a single row of LEDs along a linear or circular path. The effect is that the image is perceived as a whole by the viewer as long as the entire path is completed during the visual persistence time of the human eye. A further effect is often to give the illusion of the image floating in mid-air. This implementation will be a coordination of electrical, electronics and mechanical engineering. Keywords: Persistence of Vision, Arduino Nano, Micro-controller, Led’s, Propeller, POV

From swings, through physics, with pendulums, to gendering: Re-turning diffractive analyses on science and gender in preschool

In this paper we re-turn (Barad, 2014) parts of the diffractive analyses conducted in a research project on science and gender in preschool (Günther-Hanssen, 2018, 2020; Günther-Hanssen, Danielsson, & Andersson, 2020). In our first re-turning, we explore how a swing and scientific phenomena in the data co-created the knowledge construction in entanglements with the researcher. To do this, we engage with how embodiment and re-actualized experiences of swinging came to matter. We then re-turn how certain events in the data are always part of other events, both in time and space. For this task, we elaborate with writing different situations from the data through one another. As we continue re-turning the analysis, new diffraction patterns emerge with each turn. By the end of the paper, our diffractive writings and readings have been re-turned into explanations of how pendulums can be used to think-with and approach gendering in preschool

Novel Investigation of Multivariable Conformable Calculus for Modeling Scientific Phenomena

New investigation on the conformable version (CoV) of multivariable calculus is proposed. The conformable derivative (CoD) of a real-valued function (RVF) of several variables (SVs) and all related properties are investigated. An extension to vector-valued functions (VVFs) of several real variables (SRVs) is studied in this work. The CoV of chain rule (CR) for functions of SVs is also introduced. At the end, the CoV of implicit function theorem (IFThm) for SVs is established. All results in this work can be potentially applied in studying various modeling scenarios in physical oceanography such as Stommel’s box model of thermohaline circulation and other related models where all our results can provide a new analysis and computational tool to investigate these models or their modified formulations.

Describing the Experiences of Students with ADHD Learning Science Content with Emerging Technologies

Emerging technologies, such as virtual reality, haptics, and 3-dimensionality, provide novel opportunities to allow students to investigate scientific phenomena by fostering perceptions of virtual presence, the feeling of being sensorially immersed and authentically interacting within a computer-generated virtual learning environment (VLE). Neurotypical learners are largely represented in VLE research on science learning, with fewer with neurodivergent learners, such as students with ADHD. This descriptive case study sought to address the dearth in the literature on neurodivergent students’ experiences, with emerging technologies, for learning science. Specifically, the case describes the extent to which neurodivergent learners experience the affordances of VLEs for science learning, as compared to their neurotypical peers, in: zooming, spatially orienting and rotating objects, viewing multiple representations and abstract processes in real-time, as well engaging in risk through multiple trials. Five middle grades students (diagnosed with ADHD) were assessed and observed using a tool (zSpace) that combines emerging technologies to learn cardiac anatomy and physiology. Students’ utterances of virtual presence and technological affordances were coded, and frequency counts and percentages were calculated, both individually and collectively. The results found that students most described sensory (41%), control (30%), and realism (26%) constructs with fewer reports of holding their attention (3%). Analyses of cardiac assessments found gains in scores for spatial rotation and viewing abstract processes, no change in score in viewing multiple representations, and a decrease in scores for spatial orientation. This case study provides unique insight into the needs of neurodivergent learners when using emerging technologies for science learning.

The development of electronic teaching materials on linear impulse and linear momentum to improve students’ scientific literacy

Students’ low scientific literacy competence and the unavailability of electronic teaching materials that match scientific literacy indicators that can be used in online learning encourage researchers to develop electronic teaching materials to improve students’ scientific literacy. This research aims to produce and describe the appropriateness of electronic teaching materials used in the learning process to enhance scientific literacy. The electronic teaching materials developed are based on scientific literacy indicators, namely explaining scientific phenomena, interpreting data and providing scientific evidence, designing and evaluating scientific investigations. The type of research used is research and development of the ADDIE model. The appropriateness of electronic teaching materials in terms of validity, practicality, and effectiveness. Research data was obtained from validation sheets given to three validators, student response questionnaires and learning outcomes tests. The data were analyzed by validity test, practicality test, and effectiveness test using N-gain score. The results showed that: 1) the validity of teaching materials obtained a score of 3.52 in the very high category, 2) the practicality of electronic teaching materials based on student response questionnaires obtained a percentage of 80.81% in the practical category, 3) the effectiveness of electronic teaching materials obtained a score of 0.44 in the medium category and the students’ scientific literacy ability 44.11% in the medium category. Based on the results of the study, impulse and linear momentum electronic teaching materials have been produced to improve students’ scientific literacy that is appropriate for use in the learning process. This research has implications, namely increasing students’ scientific literacy, especially on impulse and linear momentum material.

How the Finnish compulsory school science curriculum emphasises scientific literacy

Science subjects are introduced as separate subjects in the Finnish national lower-secondary level science curriculum. The curriculum concentrates on attitudes, which support the use of scientific knowledge in different science inquiry situations and contexts. The competence aims, introduced in the curriculum, emphasise the use of scientific knowledge, such as describing, explaining and predicting scientific phenomena, evaluating and identifying scientific issues, and interpreting data and evidence scientifically. The curriculum emphasises the learning of transversal competencies, such as learning critical and creative thinking skills and learning versatile ways of working. The curriculum also focuses on the use of knowledge in inquiry, life and living and society related situations. Overall, the description of the core subject matter knowledge aims to integrate Vision I (a conceptual approach) and Vision II (a contextual approach) related to the development of science literacy, introduced by Roberts.

The role of language in students’ justifications of scientific phenomena

Constructing scientific arguments is an essential skill for members of society, especially in a world facing complex socioscientific issues. Educators can help students develop scientific argumentation skills; however, argumentation is a complex linguistic practice and little is known about how English language learners construct arguments in English. We investigated how undergraduate science students’ English language proficiency and history were associated with their level of reasoning in scientific arguments (N = 166). We found that participants’ English language experiences, including their proficiency and history, were associated with the level of reasoning demonstrated. These findings suggest a need to identify the associated barriers faced by students from diverse language backgrounds and design equitable educational supports and assessments.