Analyzing Coherence of Evidences and Claims Presented in Elementary Students' Science Writing for Inquiry Activities

초등학생의 탐구 활동 과학 글쓰기에서 나타난 증거와 주장의 정합성 분석

This study aims to explore group inquiry using science writing heuristic in elementary school science. We observed and examined what elementary students experienced in their science classes and moreover how they used their data to support their claims in the view point of scientific epistemology. The research question of this study is 'what is the result of coherence measurement for figuring out the relationship between argument and ground in group inquiry activity?'. To solve the study question, one fifth-grade class at an elementary school was selected. Four lessons in group inquiry using a worksheet of science writing heuristic were videotaped and transcribed. It was found that the hours of group inquiry when students can discuss meaningfully occupied approximately 37 to 45%. When measuring coherence in each lesson by developing a scale from one to five to estimate the coherence of the work sheet designed, the total average was 3.424. It implicated that students had their claims supported by some of their evidences. Although the figure was not enough to assist that they found strong bonds between their claims and data, they started to move forward to epistemological approach in their science lab works.