Using Computational Essays to Foster Disciplinary Epistemic Agency in Undergraduate Science

Autor/inn/en	Odden, Tor Ole B.; Silvia, Devin W.; Malthe-Sørenssen, Anders
Titel	Using Computational Essays to Foster Disciplinary Epistemic Agency in Undergraduate Science
Quelle	In: Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 60 (2023) 5, S.937-977 (41 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Odden, Tor Ole B.) ORCID (Silvia, Devin W.) ORCID (Malthe-Sørenssen, Anders)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0022-4308
DOI	10.1002/tea.21821
Schlagwörter	Computation; Essays; Undergraduate Students; STEM Education; Technical Writing; Coding; Data Science; Models; Physics; Foreign Countries; Epistemology; Programming; Inquiry; Data Analysis; Scandinavia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Essay; Aufsatzunterricht; STEM; Technical documentation; Technische Dokumentation; Codierung; Programmierung; Analogiemodell; Physik; Ausland; Erkenntnistheorie; Auswertung; Skandinavien
Abstract	This article reports on a study investigating how computational essays can be used to help students in higher education STEM take up disciplinary epistemic agency--cognitive control and responsibility over one's own learning within the scientific disciplines. Computational essays are a genre of scientific writing that combine live, executable computer code with narrative text to present a computational model or analysis. The study took place across two contrasting university contexts: an interdisciplinary data science and modeling course at a large research university in the Midwestern United States, and a third-semester physics course at a large research university in Scandinavia. Over the course of a semester, computational essays were simultaneously and independently used in both courses, and comparable datasets of student artifacts and retrospective interviews were collected from both student populations. These data were analyzed using a framework that operationalized the construct of disciplinary epistemic agency across the dimensions of programming, inquiry, data analysis and modeling, and communication. Based on this analysis, we argue that computational essays can be a useful tool for fostering disciplinary epistemic agency within higher education science due to their combination of adaptability and disciplinary authenticity. However, we also argue that educational contexts, scaffolding, expectations, and student backgrounds can constrain and influence the ways in which students choose to take up epistemic agency. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01