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Broadening the Theory of Scientific Thinking for Higher Education |
Mari Murtonen,Heidi Salmento |
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Scientific thinking in higher education is a new way of looking at the entirety of intended higher-order thinking skills. Building on previous theories, this new, broader conceptualisation of scientific thinking gathers many important theoretical aspects of thinking skills that are especially characteristic for students in higher education. The components of this broad scientific thinking are: (1) Critical thinking and understanding the basics of science, (2) Epistemic understanding, (3) Research skills, (4) Evidence-based reasoning skills and (5) Contextual understanding. The new theory offers a basis for further research on the development of higher-order thinking skills during higher education, and gives teachers tools to analyse their students’ learning in relation to desired learning outcomes.
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The Roles of Epistemic Understanding and Research Skills in Students’ Views of Scientific Thinking |
Heidi Salmento,Mari Murtonen |
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Scientific thinking is about understanding the ways knowledge is produced, used and justified in our society. It is also about what knowledge itself is. Thus, students’ epistemic understanding and their understanding of research play central roles in the development of scientific thinking. This chapter sheds light on the phenomena of epistemic understanding and research-based thinking from the viewpoints of students. We present data on how students conceptualise scientific thinking and the roles that epistemic understanding and research-based thinking play in their views. We see epistemic understanding and research-based thinking as cornerstones of scientific thinking and argue that in addition to developing research methodology teaching, more attention should be paid to increase both university teachers’ and students’ awareness of epistemic understanding.
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Enhancing Scientific Thinking Through the Development of Critical Thinking in Higher Education |
Heidi Hyytinen,Auli Toom,Richard J. Shavelson |
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Contemporary higher education is committed to enhancing students’ scientific thinking in part by improving their capacity to think critically, a competence that forms a foundation for scientific thinking. We introduce and evaluate the characteristic elements of critical thinking (i.e. cognitive skills, affective dispositions, knowledge), problematising the domain-specific and general aspects of critical thinking and elaborating justifications for teaching critical thinking. Finally, we argue that critical thinking needs to be integrated into curriculum, learning goals, teaching practices and assessment. The chapter emphasises the role of constructive alignment in teaching and use of a variety of teaching methods for teaching students to think critically in order to enhance their capacity for scientific thinking.
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Evidenced-Based Thinking for Scientific Thinking |
Rebecca Shargel,Lisa Twiss |
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This chapter presents a framework for teaching evidenced-based thinking as an integral component of critical thinking, which is a critical foundation of scientific thinking. A qualitative case study is described during which the instructors implemented a typology of five types of evidence: Statistical, qualitative, anecdotal, legal, and expert opinion. By using this typology, students effectively described types of evidence, used evidence to support their arguments, combined them to promote their claims, and became more sceptical of information. These findings provide insights into students’ process of evidenced-based thinking. Ultimately, this research provides insight and guidance for instructors who wish to improve students’ scientific thinking.
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Students’ Difficulties During Research Methods Training Acting as Potential Barriers to Their Develo |
Kieran Balloo |
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Students are likely to develop scientific thinking skills through participation in research methods training courses, so any difficulties experienced during these courses might then act as potential barriers to the development of these skills. This chapter begins by reviewing common difficulties experienced by students during this training, which are categorised into the following themes: Affective Issues with Research; Negative and Naïve Conceptions of Research; and Cognitive Complexity of Research. Some of the pedagogical approaches to dealing with students’ issues are briefly discussed before presenting a qualitative phenomenological investigation of the undergraduate experience of research methods training. This chapter ends by discussing practical implications of the investigation’s findings to aid research methods instructors in reducing the chances of barriers forming.
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Threshold Concepts of Research in Teaching Scientific Thinking |
Margaret Kiley |
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Development of scientific thinking through its components can be challenging. Therefore, pedagogical solutions that help teachers to understand the students’ challenges in learning and to overcome these difficulties are helpful. Research over the past 15 years has highlighted the theory of threshold concepts, that is, the concepts that are key to deep understanding in specific disciplines. Much of the work on the threshold concepts framework was originally related to discipline-specific learning at the undergraduate level, however, more recently the threshold concept framework has been extended to include the concepts in learning to be a researcher. This chapter proposes how doctoral supervisors might be able to use threshold concepts to help students in learning scientific thinking.
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The Acculturation and Engagement of Undergraduate Students in Scientific Thinking Through Research M |
Anesa Hosein,Namrata Rao |
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In undergraduate degrees in the social sciences, research courses are usually a compulsory component of the curriculum. This chapter explores the pedagogical engagement, through the lens of acculturation theory, that is needed for creating scientific thinking skills via research courses. We posit that students who choose their discipline voluntarily are more likely to pedagogically engage (i.e. integrate or assimilate) into their discipline’s research paradigms. However, those students pursuing a discipline which was not their first choice may be less engaged in developing scientific thinking skills within these compulsory components and may be more likely to adopt a pedagogically disengaged (i.e. segregated) approach. The chapter explores the implications of these different pedagogical engagement approaches for students and how teachers may create learning environments to develop their scientific thinking skills.
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Expertise Development and Scientific Thinking |
Erno Lehtinen,Jake McMullen,Hans Gruber |
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The focus of expertise research is on exceptionally advanced performance in professions that require long academic—and at least partly scientific—education before entering into work. Surprisingly, only a few studies have systematically examined the role of scientific thinking in expertise development. Many studies have shown that initial scientific knowledge seems to disappear during the course of expertise development. This conclusion was challenged by the theory of encapsulation, which describes how formal scientific knowledge is integrated with practical knowledge during work experience. This raises questions for expertise research: How do scientists themselves reason and how do they develop these skills? The aim of this chapter is to summarise existing findings about the relationship between expertise development and scientific thinking.
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Developing Scientific Thinking and Research Skills Through the Research Thesis or Dissertation |
Gina Wisker |
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This chapter explores higher level scientific thinking skills that research students need to develop during their research learning journeys towards their dissertation/thesis at postgraduate levels, and also final year undergraduate (Australian honours year) dissertation. A model of four quadrants is introduced. Practice and experience-informed examples are presented to show how higher order skills can be realised and embedded so that they become established ways of thinking, researching, creating, and expressing knowledge and understanding.
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Developing Scientific Thinking Towards Inclusive Knowledge-Building Communities |
Angela Brew,Lilia Mantai,Aprill Miles |
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Calls for stronger engagement of students in university research and inquiry require shifts in values and relationships, and pose challenges for educational development at all levels. This chapter examines how a model of universities as inclusive scholarly knowledge-building communities has been used in implementing a seven-year programme of academic development designed to promote undergraduate research and research-based learning in Australasia. It outlines the model and demonstrates how the programme addresses each of its facets. Finally, it discusses the applicability of the model to educational development practice more widely and how it can be used to foster students’ development of scientific thinking.
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发表于 2025-3-21 17:03:44
