Scientific Argumentation Essay

ackground of the Study

In the past few decades, science education focused on ways to develop the cognition and metacognition of students during instructions. Recently, scientific argumentation emerged as a means to promote various aspects of scientific understanding and reasoning. Research findings showed that scientific argumentation assisted scientific knowledge construction (Osborne, Erduran, & Simon, 2004). Accordingly, an in depth understanding of science demanded the acquisition of scientific knowledge, basically an epistemic knowledge.

A simple exploration of science teaching and learning in most Ethiopian science classrooms, arguably at any educational level, illustrated its encroachment with traditional lecture instruction (Negash,

The alternative strategy must boost students’ practice of science. Dialogical argumentation is among such approaches. The implementation of such approaches had been supported by many theoretical frameworks. Among the many learning theories, sociocultural learning theory advocates the importance of talking in science. The main idea of the employment of the sociocultural learning theory approach to learning can be achieved using the effect of scientific argumentation that make easy students talking science(Lemke, 1990). In addition, scientific argumentation also induces active involvement of students in constructing their own scientific

The introduction of argumentation in science classroom have many benefits. To mention a few, it make thinking visible; empowers student’s communication competencies as well as their scientific literacy; creates awareness about the practice of science, and improves reasoning skills(S. Erduran et al., 2004). Studies related to argumentation and epistemology have looked at student’s sense making(G. J. Kelly & A Takao, 2002); epistemological beliefs as a practical epistemology(W. A. Sandoval, 2005); and relate argumentation with conceptual knowledge (Aufschnaiter, Erduran, Osborne, & Simon, 2008) but overlooked the effect of argumentation on student’s epistemic