The Role of Metalanguage in an Explicit Literacy Instruction on Scientific Explanation

Autor/inn/en	Tang, Kok-Sing; Rappa, Natasha Anne
Titel	The Role of Metalanguage in an Explicit Literacy Instruction on Scientific Explanation
Quelle	In: International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 19 (2021) 7, S.1311-1331 (21 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Tang, Kok-Sing)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1571-0068
DOI	10.1007/s10763-020-10121-6
Schlagwörter	Metalinguistics; Science Instruction; Teaching Methods; Literacy Education; Case Studies; Grade 9; Classroom Communication; Epistemology; Validity; Role; Language Usage; Vocabulary Skills; Academic Language + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Metalanguage; Metasprache; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; School year 09; 9. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 09; Klassengespräch; Erkenntnistheorie; Gültigkeit; Rollen; Sprachgebrauch; Aktiver Wortschatz; Academic; Language; Languages; Akademiker; Sprache; Wissenschaftssprache
Abstract	This paper illustrates the role of metalanguage in an explicit literacy instruction to talk about the forms and functions of scientific genres, particularly the genre of explanation. In the context of science, metalanguage refers to the technical terms for talking "about" scientific language using words like law, hypothesis, and evidence. Despite many efforts to use literacy strategies to address the challenges of learning scientific language, the conventional genres commonly found in science remain implicit in most science classroom teaching. In order to explicitly discuss the nature of scientific genres and how they are linked to scientific practices, scientific metalanguage provides a potential literacy tool. To illustrate this argument, we draw on a case study where four teachers and their grade 9 students learned how to use a specific type of metalanguage to describe scientific explanation. Analysis of their classroom discourse showed that the use of the metalanguage facilitated explicit communication about the logical sequence, epistemic structure, and validity of scientific explanation. Based on the findings, we discuss the usefulness of metalanguage for teachers and students to describe and analyze scientific genres as well as how these genres are used to construct and communicate scientific knowledge. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01