Positioning as Not-Understanding: The Value of Showing Uncertainty for Engaging in Science

Autor/inn/en	Watkins, Jessica; Hammer, David; Radoff, Jennifer; Jaber, Lama Z.; Phillips, Anna M.
Titel	Positioning as Not-Understanding: The Value of Showing Uncertainty for Engaging in Science
Quelle	In: Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 55 (2018) 4, S.573-599 (27 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Watkins, Jessica) ORCID (Jaber, Lama Z.) ORCID (Phillips, Anna M.)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0022-4308
DOI	10.1002/tea.21431
Schlagwörter	Science Education; Science Process Skills; Comprehension; Ambiguity (Context); Knowledge Level; Case Studies; Epistemology; Science Activities; Class Activities; Learning Processes + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Naturwissenschaftliche Bildung; Verstehen; Verständnis; Wissensbasis; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Erkenntnistheorie; Learning process; Lernprozess
Abstract	Not understanding is central to scientific work: what scientists do is learn about the natural world, which involves seeking out what they do not know. In classrooms, however, the position of not-understanding is generally a liability; confusion is an unfortunate condition to resolve as quickly as possible, or to conceal. In this article, we argue that students' public displays of uncertainty or confusion can be pivotal contributions to the classroom dynamics in initiating and sustaining a class's science inquiry. We present this as a central finding from a cross-case analysis of eight episodes of students' scientific engagement, drawing on literature on "framing" to show how participants positioned themselves as not-understanding and how that was consequential for the class's scientific engagement. We show how participants enacted this positioning by asking questions or expressing uncertainty around a phenomenon or model. We then analyze how participants' displays of not-understanding shaped the conceptual, epistemic, and social aspects of classroom activity. We present two cases in detail: one in which a student's positioning helped initiate the class's scientific engagement and another in which it helped sustain it. We argue that this work motivates considering how to help students learn to embrace and value the role of expressing one's confusion in science. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01