Scientific reasoning is a critical skill for students aiming to become professional scientists. Yet, there is little research on the development of such reasoning in science majors. Scientific reasoning is often investigated as two separate entities: hypothetico-deductive reasoning and argumentation, even though these skills may be linked. With regard to argumentation, fewer investigations look at its use in analyzing scientific data. This study seeks to address these issues and establish a baseline of both hypothetico-deductive reasoning and argumentation of scientific data of biology majors through their engagement in introductory biology coursework.
This descriptive study investigated the development of undergraduates’ scientific reasoning skills by assessing them three times throughout a two-quarter introductory biology course sequence for majors. A split-half version of the revised Lawson Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (LCTSR) and a paper and pencil argumentation instrument developed for this study were utilized to assess student hypothetico-deductive reasoning and argumentation skills, respectively. To identify factors that may influence scientific reasoning development, demographic information and evidence for course emphasis on scientific reasoning was collected.
No trends of improvement were found in the students’ hypothetico-deductive reasoning or argumentation skills during the two-course sequence. Specific difficulties in the control of variables and direct hypothetico-deductive reasoning were identified through analysis of the LCTSR data. Students were also found to have trouble identifying and rebutting counterarguments, compared to generating initial arguments from scientific data sets. Although no overall improvement was found, a moderate, positive relationship was detected between LCTSR and argumentation scores at each administration. Lastly, no difference was determined between biology majors and other students enrolled in the courses. The results found here are similar to those classified in the literature for both hypothetico-deductive reasoning and argumentation, indicating that biology majors may be similar to other populations studied. Also, as little explicit attention was paid to scientific reasoning skills in the two courses, these findings complement those that illustrate a need for direct attention to foster the development of these skills. These results suggest the need to develop direct and explicit methods in order to improve the scientific reasoning skills of biology majors.