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Instructional designs that include two or more artifacts (digital manipulatives, tables, graphs) have shown to support students’ development of reasoning about covarying quantities. However, research often neglects how this development occurs from the student point of view during the interactions with these artifacts. An analysis from this lens could significantly justify claims about what designs really support students’ covariational reasoning. Our study makes this contribution by examining the “messiness” of students’ transitions as they interact with various artifacts that represent the same covariational situation. We present data from a design experiment with a pair of sixth-grade students who engaged with the set of artifacts we designed (simulation, table, and graph) to explore quantities that covary. An instrumental genesis perspective is followed to analyze students’ transitions from one artifact to the next. We utilize the distinction between static and emergent shape thinking to make inferences about their reorganizations of reasoning as they (re-)form a system of instruments that integrates previously developed instruments. Our findings provide an insight into the nature of the synergy of artifacts that offers a constructive space for students to shape and reorganize their meanings about covarying quantities. Specifically, we propose different subcategories of complementarities and antagonisms between artifacts that have the potential to make this synergy productive.
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Exploring the role of disciplinary knowledge in students’ covariational reasoning during graphical interpretation
Abstract BackgroundThis study investigates undergraduate STEM students’ interpretation of quantities and quantitative relationships on graphical representations in biology (population growth) and chemistry (titration) contexts. Interviews (n = 15) were conducted to explore the interplay between students’ covariational reasoning skills and their use of disciplinary knowledge to form mental images during graphical interpretation. ResultsOur findings suggest that disciplinary knowledge plays an important role in students’ ability to interpret scientific graphs. Interviews revealed that using disciplinary knowledge to form mental images of represented quantities may enhance students’ covariational reasoning abilities, while lacking it may hinder more sophisticated covariational reasoning. Detailed descriptions of four students representing contrasting cases are analyzed, showing how mental imagery supports richer graphic sense-making. ConclusionsIn the cases examined here, students who have a deep understanding of the disciplinary concepts behind the graphs are better able to make accurate interpretations and predictions. These findings have implications for science education, as they suggest instructors should focus on helping students to develop a deep understanding of disciplinary knowledge in order to improve their ability to interpret scientific graphs.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2013427
- PAR ID:
- 10523689
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer Science + Business Media
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- International Journal of STEM Education
- Volume:
- 11
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2196-7822
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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