Scientific Reasoning and Argumentation

Competence in scientific reasoning is one of the most valued outcomes of secondary and higher education. However, there is a need for a deeper understanding of and further research into the roles of domain-general and domain-specific knowledge in such reasoning. This book explores the functions and limitations of domain-general conceptions of reasoning and argumentation, the substantial differences that exist between the disciplines, and the role of domain-specific knowledge and epistemologies. Featuring chapters and commentaries by widely cited experts in the learning sciences, educational psychology, science education, history education, and cognitive science, Scientific Reasoning and Argumentation presents new perspectives on a decades-long debate about the role of domain-specific knowledge and its contribution to the development of more general reasoning abilities.

Frank Fischer is Full Professor of Educational Science and Educational Psychology, Department of Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Germany. Clark A. Chinn is Full Professor of Educational Psychology at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, USA. Katharina Engelmann is Research Fellow at TUM School of Education at Technical University of Munich, Germany. Jonathan Osborne is Kamalchari Professor of Science Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, USA.

1 The Roles of Domain-Specific and Domain-General Knowledge in Scientific Reasoning and Argumentation: An Introduction Katharina Engelmann et al. Part 1 Exploring the Limits of Domain-Generality 2 In the Eye of the Beholder: Domain-General and Domain-Specific Reasoning in Science Leona Schauble 3 Domain-Specific Aspects of Scientific Reasoning and Argumentation: Insights from Automatic Coding Johannes Daxenberger et al. 4 Construing Scientific Evidence: The Role of Disciplinary Knowledge in Reasoning with and about Evidence in Scientific Practice Ala Samarapungavan 5 What is the Value of General Knowledge of Scientific Reasoning? Clark A. Chinn and Ravit Golan Duncan 6 Discussion of Papers and Reflections on "Exploring the Limits of Domain-Generality" Richard J. Shavelson Part 2 Exploring Disciplinary Frameworks 7 Domain-Specificity in the Practices of Explanation, Modeling, and Argument in the Sciences Susan R. Goldman et al. 8 Historical Reasoning: The Interplay of Domain-Specific and Domain-General Aspects Carla van Boxtel and Jannet van Drie 9 Styles of Scientific Reasoning: What Can We Learn from Looking at the Product, Not the Process, of Scientific Reasoning? Jonathan Osborne 10 Commentary on Exploring Disciplinary Frameworks Robin Stark 11 Scientific Reasoning and Argumentation: Is There an Over-Emphasis on Discipline Specificity? Alexander Renkl Part 3 Exploring the Role of Domain-General Knowledge 12 Beyond Intelligence and Domain Knowledge: Scientific Reasoning and Argumentation as a Set of Cross-Domain Skills Andreas Hetmanek et al. 13 The Development of Scientific Thinking in Preschool and Elementary School Age: A Conceptual Model Beate Sodian 14 Specificity Reloaded: How Multiple Layers of Specificity Influence Reasoning in Science Argument Evaluation Dorothe Kienhues, Eva Thomm, and Rainer Bromme 15 Scientific Reasoning as Domain-Specific or General Knowledge: A Discussion André Tricot