Abstract

Aim of this research is to evaluate the impact of argumentation in the chemistry laboratory on conceptual comprehension of students. This research follows a triangulation design, categorized under mixed-method design variations, which include both qualitative and quantitative research designs. The research is conducted with 91 first grade university students studying in two different classes of the Department of Science Education, Kazım Karabekir Education Faculty at the Ataturk University, located in eastern Turkey. One class was randomly designated as the experimental group, with another as the control group. Research data was collected via a General Chemistry Laboratory Concept Test (GCLCT) containing 33 items, a test containing ten open-ended items, a semi-structured interview form, and a written feedback form, all designed by the researchers. Data from the GCLCT were analyzed through predictive statistics method, while data from the open-ended questions, semi-structured interview and written feedback form were analyzed through the descriptive analysis method. It is concluded from this research, that there is statistically significant difference between the GCLC post-test averages of the experimental and control groups. It was found that when compared to the control group, the proportion of experimental group students who answered the GCLC post-test items correctly is higher. In addition to this, the proportion of students who demonstrated misconceptions were higher in the control group students compared to the experimental group. It is concluded by this research, that argumentation provides more effective results in terms of comprehension of fundamental chemistry concepts, when compared to a traditional approach.

Keywords: argumentation, chemistry laboratory, conceptual comprehension, mixed design

Abraham, R.M., Grzybowski, B.E., Renner, W.J., & Marek, A.E. (1992). Understanding and misunderstandings of eight graders of five chemistry concepts found in textbooks. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29(2), 105-120.

Abraham, R.M., Williamson, M.V., & Westbrook, L.S. (1994). A cross-age study of the understanding of five chemistry concepts. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 31(2), 147-165.

Alkan, M., Bayrakceken, S., Gurses, A., & Demir, Y. (1997). Deneysel kimya [Experimental chemistry] (Second Edition). Erzurum: Ekev Publishing.

Allen, D.E., Duch, B.J., & Groh, S.E. (1996). The power of problem-based learning in teaching introductory science courses. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 68, 43-52.

Aufschnaiter, C., Erduran, S., Osborne, J., & Simon, S. (2008). Arguing to learn and learning to argue: Case studies of how students’ argumentation relates to their scientific knowledge. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(1), 101-131.

Aydeniz, M., Pabuccu, A., Cetin, P.S., & Kaya, E. (2012). Impact of argumentation on college students’  conceptual understanding of properties and behaviors of gases. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 10(6), 1303-1324.

Bayrakceken, S., Gurses, A., & Doymus, K. (1999). Genel kimya laboratuvari [General chemistry laboratory]. Erzurum: Egitim Copy.

Buyukozturk, S., Kilic Cakmak, E., Akgun, O.E., Karadeniz, S., & Demirel, F. (2012). Bilimsel arastirma yontemleri [Research methods] (11th edition). Ankara: PegemA Akademi.

Canpolat, N. (2002). Kimyasal denge ile ilgili kavramlarin anlasilmasinda kavramsal degisim yaklasiminin etkinliginin incelenmesi [Examining the effectiveness of conceptual change approach to the understanding of the concepts related to chemical equilibrium]. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Graduate School of Natural & Applied Sciences, Erzurum, Turkey.

Canpolat, N., Bayrakceken, S., Karaman, S., Celik, S., Aggul Yalcin, F., & Avinc Akpinar, I. (2009). Orta ogretim ve yuksekogretim duzeyinde kimya ogretimi için yapilandirmaci yaklasima uygun aktif ogrenme etkinliklerinin hazirlanmasi, uygulanmasi ve degerlendirilmesi [Secondary education and higher education levels in the preparation of appropriate active learning activities constructivist approach to teaching chemistry, implementation and evaluation], Ankara: TUBITAK Research Project (No. 107K095).

Cepni, S. (2010). Arastirma ve proje calismalarina giris [Introduction to research and project work] (fifth Edition). Trabzon: Celepler Publications.

Cetin, P.S. (2014). Explicit argumentation instruction to facilitate conceptual understanding and argumentation skills, Research in Science & Technological Education, 32(1), 1-20.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences (2nd ed.). New York: Academic Press.

Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159.

Creswell, W.J. (2002). Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (Second Edition). California: Sage Publications.

Creswell, W.J. (2012). Educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th Edition). Boston: Pearson Education.

Creswell, W.J., & Plano Clark, V.L. (2007). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. California: Sage Publications.

Dawson, V.M., & Venville, G. (2010). Teaching strategies for developing students’ argumentation skills about socio-scientific issues in high school genetics. Research in Science Education, 40(2), 133-148.

Demirci, N. (2008). Toulmin’in bilimsel tartisma modeli odakli egitimin kimya ogretmen adaylarinin temel kimya konularini anlamalari ve tartisma seviyeleri uzerine etkisi [The effect of the teaching focused on toulmin's scientific argumentation model upon the understanding of the chemistry teacher candidates on general chemistry topics' and levels of argumentation]. Unpublished master’s thesis. Gazi University Educational Sciences Institute, Ankara, Turkey.

Demircioglu, H. (2008). Sinif ogretmeni adaylarina yonelik maddenin halleri konusuyla ilgili baglam temelli materyal gelistirilmesi ve etkililiginin arastirilmasi [Developing instructional materials about the topic of 'states of matter' based on the context-based approach for primary students teachers and probing their effectiveness]. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Karadeniz Technical University Institute of Natural Science, Trabzon, Turkey.

Demircioglu, H., Demircioglu, G., Ayas, A., & Kongur, S. (2012). Onuncu sinif ogrencilerinin fiziksel ve kimyasal degisme kavramlari ile ilgili teorik ve uygulama bilgilerinin karsilastirilmasi [A comparison of theoretical and practical knowledge about physical and chemical changes the concept of tenth grade students]. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 9(1), 162-181.

Demircioglu, T., & Ucar, S. (2012). The effect of argument-driven inquiry on pre-service science teachers’ attitudes and argumentation skills. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 5035-5039.

Demircioglu, T., & Ucar, S (2015). Investigating the Effect of Argument-Driven Inquiry in Laboratory Instruction. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 15(1), 267-283.

Driver, R., Newton, P., & Osborne, J. (2000). Establishing the norms of scientific argumentation in classrooms. Science Education, 84(3), 287–312.

Duschl, R.A., & Osborne, J. (2002). Supporting and promoting argumentation discourse in science education. Studies in Science Education, 38(1), 39-72.

Ebbing, D.D., & Gammon, S.D. (2009). General chemistry (9th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Erduran, S., & Jiménez-Aleixandre, M.P. (2007). Argumentation in science education: perspectives from classroom-based research. Dordrecht: Springer.

Eskin, H., & Bekiroglu, F. (2013). Argumentation as a strategy for conceptual learning of dynamics. Research in Science Education, 43(5), 1939-1956.

Eskin, H. & Bekiroğlu, F. O. (2009). Investigation of a pattern between students’ engagement in argumentation and their science content knowledge: A case study. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 5(1), 63-70.    

Fang, Z., & Wei, Y. (2010). Improving middle school students’ science literacy through reading infusion. The Journal of Educational Research, 103(4), 262–273.

Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using SPSS (4th Edition). London: SAGE Publications.

Frisbie, A.D. (1988). Reliability of Scores From Teacher-Made Tests. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 7(1), 25-35.

Groom, J., Sampson, V., & Golden, V. (2014). Comparing the effectiveness of verification and inquiry laboratories in supporting undergraduate science students in constructing arguments around socioscientific issues. International Journal of Science Education, 36(9), 1412-1433.

Guo, C. (2007). Issues in science learning: An international perspective. In S.K. Abell & N.G. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of research on science education (pp.227–256). New York: Routledge.

Gultepe, N., & Kilic, Z. (2013). Bilimsel tartisma ve lise ogrencilerinin cozunurluk dengesi ve asitler-bazlar konularindaki kavramsal anlamalari [Scientific Argumentation and Conceptual Understanding of High School Students on Solubility Equilibrium and Acids and Bases]. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 10(4), 5-21.

Gurses, A., & Bayrakceken, S. (1996). Deneysel fizikokimya [Experimental physical chemistry]. Erzurum: Ekev Publishing.

Hand, B., Nam, J., & Choi, A. (2012). Argument-based general chemistry laboratory investigations for pre-service science teachers. Quimica Education, 23, 96-100.

Harlen, W. (2009). Teaching and learning science for a better future. School Science Review, 90(333), 33-42.

Huddle, B.P. (1998). “Conceptual Questions” on Le Châtelier’s Principle. Journal of Chemical Education, 75(9), 1175.

Jiménez-Aleixandre, M.P., & Erduran, S. (2007). Argumentation in science education: an overview, In S. Erduran & M.P. Jiménez Aleixandre (Eds.), Argumentation in science education, (pp.3-28). Dordrecht: Springer.

Jiménez-Aleixandre, M.P., & Pereiro-Munhoz, C. (2002). Knowledge producers or knowledge consumers? Argumentation and decision-making about environmental management. International Journal of Science Education, 24(11), 1171-1190.

Katchevich, D., Hofstein, A., & Mamlok-Naaman, R. (2013). Argumentation in the chemistry laboratory: inquiry and confirmatory experiments, Research in Science Education, 43(1), 317-345.

Katchevich, D., Mamlok-Naaman, R., & Hofstein, A. (2014). The characteristics of open-ended inquiry-type chemistry experiments that enable argumentative discourse. Sisyphus-Journal of Education, 2(2), 74-99.

Kaya, B. (2009). Arastirma temelli ogretim ve bilimsel tartisma yonteminin ilkogretim ogrencilerinin asitler ve bazlar konusunu ogrenmesi uzerine etkilerinin karsilastirilmasi [A comparison of effects of teaching interventions designed in the line of inquiry-based learning and scientific argumentation on primary school students' learning acids and bases]. Unpublished master’s thesis. Marmara University Institute of Educational Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey.

Kaya, E. (2012). Argumantasyona dayali etkinliklerin ogretmen adaylarinin kimyasal denge konusunu anlamalarina etkisi [Impact of activities based on argumentation to understand the chemical equilibrium of teachers candidate], Paper session presented at the meeting of X. National Science and Mathematics Education Congress, Nigde.

Kind, P., Wilson, J., Hofstein, A., & Kind, V. (2010). Stimulating peer argumentation in the school science laboratory: exploring the effect of laboratory task formats. Paper presented at the meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Philadelphia, USA.

Kind, P. M., Kind, V., Hofstein, A., & Wilson, J. (2011). Peer argumentation in the school science laboratory-exploring effects of task features. International Journal of Science Education, 33(18), 2527-2558.

Kogce, D., Aydin, M., & Yildiz, C. (2009). A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy: An Overview. Elementary Education Online, 8(3), 1-7.

Krathwohl, R.D. (2002). A revision of bloom's taxonomy: An overview. Theory Into Practice, 41(4), 212-218.

Lederman, J.S., Lederman, N.G., Bartos, S.A., Barels, S.L., Meyer, A.A., & Schwartz, R.S. (2014). Meaningful assessment of learners’ understandings about scientific inquiry—The Views About Scientific Inquiry (VASI) questionnaire. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51(1), 65–83.

McMillan, J.H., & Schumacher, S. (2014). Research in education: evidence-based inquiry (Pearson New International edition). Essex: Pearson Publishing.

Niaz, M., Aguilera, D., Maza, A., & Liendo, G. (2002). Arguments, contradictions, resistances and conceptual change in students’ understanding of atomic structure. Science Education, 86(4), 505-525.

National Research Council (NRC). (1996). National science education standards, Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Osborne, J., Erduran, S., & Simon, S. (2004a). Enhancing the quality of argument in school science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 41(10), 994-1020.

Pinarbasi, T. (2002). Cozunurlukle ilgili kavramlarin anlasilmasinda kavramsal degesim yaklasiminin etkinliginin incelenmesi [Investigations of effectiveness of conceptual change approach on understanding of solubility concepts]. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Graduate School of Natural & Applied Sciences, Erzurum, Turkey.

Skamp, K.R., & Peers, S. (2012, June). Implementation of science based on the 5E learning model: insights from teacher feedback on trial Primary Connections units, Paper session presented at the meeting of Australasian Science Education Research Association Conference, Canberra.

Summerlin, R.L., & Ealy, B.J. (1985). Chemical demonstrations: A sourcebook for teachers (Vol 1) Washington, District of Columbia: American Chemical Society.

Thorpe, S.G. (2006). CliffsAP 5 chemistry practice exams. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Tumay, H., & Koseoglu, F. (2011). Kimya ogretmen adaylarinin argumantasyon odakli ogretim konusunda anlayislarinin gelistirilmesi [Improving understanding of the chemistry teachers of argumentation oriented teaching]. Journal of Turkish Science Education, 8(3), 105-119.

Ulucinar Sagir, S., & Kilic, Z. (2012). Analysis of the Contribution of Argumentation-Based Science Teaching on Student Success and Retention. Eurasian Journal of Physics and Chemistry Education, 4(2), 139-156.

Walker, J. (2011). Argumentation in undergraduate chemistry laboratories. Unpublished Doctoral dissertation, Florida State University, USA.

Walsh, M. (2003). Teaching qualitative analysis using QSR NVivo. The Qualitative Report, 8(2), 251-256.

Yalcin Celik, A., & Kilic, Z. (2014). The impact of argumentation on high school chemistry students’ conceptual understanding, attitude towards chemistry and argumentativeness. Eurasian Journal of Physics and Chemistry Education, 6(1), 58-75.

Yerrick, R.K. (2000). Lower track science students’ argumentation and open inquiry instruction. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(8), 807-838.

Yesiloglu, S.N. (2007). Gazlar konusunun lise ogrencilerine bilimsel tartisma (argumantasyon) odakli yontem ile ogretimi [Teaching gases topic to high school students through argumentation]. Unpublished master’s thesis. Gazi University Educational Sciences Institute, Ankara, Turkey.

Zohar, A., & Nemet, F. (2002). Fostering students’ knowledge and argumentation skills through dilemmas in human genetics. International Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39(1), 35-62.

Zumdahl, S.S., & Zumdahl, S.A. (2007). Chemistry (7th ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Company.