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Description
Abstract
Science instruction is often criticized for focusing on the memorization of discrete concepts, facts and laws. The focus students perceive science as a set of final form ideas suggesting little change over time (Duschl, 1990). There is often a focus on one “right answer” rather than an exploration of ideas that includes incorrect or partially correct explanations (NRC, 2015). However, research and reform efforts identify evidence as an essential component of science classroom instruction to actively engage students in science practices. In science-as-practice, students develop and demonstrate knowledge as they build explanations of phenomena (Berland, Schwarz, Krist, Kenyon, Lo & Reiser, 2016; Krajcik, Codere, Dahsah, Bayer & Mun, 2014, Lehrer & Schauble, 2006). Scientific evidence fosters the work of science learners from individually learning final form and isolated facts to actively participating in knowledge construction practices because of the emphasis on evidence in existing policy and research. This paper aims to explore how conceptual cognitions result from students making sense of “scientific evidence” as phenomena is explained.
Keywords: Global Positioning System (GPS), Total electron Content (TEC)
