Scientific discourse : can our first-year students express themselves in science?

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dc.contributor.authorMouton, Marnelen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorRootman-Le Grange, Ilseen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2020-08-14T12:57:39Z
dc.date.available2020-08-14T12:57:39Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.descriptionCITATION: Mouton, M. & Rootman-Le Grange, I. 2020. Scientific discourse : can our first-year students express themselves in science?. In 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd 20). Polytechnic University of Valencia, Valencia, doi:10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11110.
dc.descriptionThe original publication is available at http://ocs.editorial.upv.es/index.php/HEAD/HEAd20/paper/view/11110
dc.description.abstractScientific discourse is a specialized, semantically dense language used to formulate clear, objective arguments around experimental results. However, science classrooms are practically void of scientific argumentation and this important skill is rarely modelled or developed in these spaces. Yet, students are expected to engage with complex disciplinary texts and then demonstrate their mastery of scientific subject matter using appropriate scientific discourse. Students find this extremely challenging and many are implicitly excluded from successful engagement with the subject. The aim of our study was the assessment and development of first-year biology students’ scientific discourse skills through collaborative pedagogy, to make aspects of biology discourse explicit to all students. We drew on Legitimation Code Theory’s concept of semantic density, which considers complexity of meaning, to design a learning opportunity and then analyzed selections of students’ summative assessments. Results showed profound variation in the proficiency of the students’ scientific vocabulary and language functions, and the discourse of the school and first-year biology textbooks. We therefore argue for science pedagogy that would allow students time and opportunities to mindfully engage with complex disciplinary text and then demonstrate their mastery of their learning using appropriate scientific discourse.en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://ocs.editorial.upv.es/index.php/HEAD/HEAd20/paper/view/11110
dc.description.versionPublisher's version
dc.format.extent8 pages
dc.identifier.citationMouton, M. & Rootman-Le Grange, I. 2020. Scientific discourse : can our first-year students express themselves in science?. In 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd 20). Polytechnic University of Valencia, Valencia, doi:10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11110
dc.identifier.otherdoi:10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11110
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/108749
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherUniversity of Valencia
dc.rights.holderAuthors retain copyright
dc.subjectLegitimation Code Theoryen_ZA
dc.subjectScience studentsen_ZA
dc.subjectAcademic -- Science -- Pedagogyen_ZA
dc.subjectScientific discourseen_ZA
dc.titleScientific discourse : can our first-year students express themselves in science?en_ZA
dc.typeConference Proceedingsen_ZA
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