Abstract
The implementation of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at school is one of the challenges of education in the twenty-first century, especially concerning the development of critical thinking during argumentative interactions. In this paper, I refer to an interdisciplinary approach with the aim to analyze the implicit inferential reasoning emerging in argumentative discussions among children during scientific activities. The study involved 25 preschool children at a kindergarten engaged in three problem solving tasks. The first activity was to build a tunnel, the second to build a bridge—both with the use of Lego©—and the third to build an hourglass with recycled materials. The tasks were video-recorded and the discussions transcribed. The analysis implied different steps: first, I identified the argumentative structure of each exchange according to the pragma-dialectical approach; then, I found the implicit premises using the Argumentum Model of Topics; afterward, I analyzed the argumentative discussions according to a sociocultural approach. The findings show a predominance of arguments based on causal relationships and indicate how children reason regarding complex aspects of a problem, such as the negative consequences of an action, the adequacy of the available tools, and the (possible) future conditions connected to the scientific activity they are involved in. The study opens a possibility to shift from how to implement STEM activities to what children already do when engaged in scientific tasks. It also encourages the adoption of an interdisciplinary approach to investigating the complex process of argumentation in preschool children.
Highlights
The implementation of STEM at school is one of the challenges of education in the twenty-first century for many countries (Sanders 2008)
The reflection of specialists approaching the world of STEM can be grouped into three categories: (1) what STEM is within disciplines concerning subjects that are interrelated; (2) how STEM is implemented and analyzed in education; and (3) why STEM is relevant to fulfill the young citizens’ needs and to prepare them for a future in society (Bybee 2013)
This paper intends to contribute to the debate concerning how STEM is analyzed
Summary
The implementation of STEM at school is one of the challenges of education in the twenty-first century for many countries (Sanders 2008). The reflection of specialists approaching the world of STEM can be grouped into three categories: (1) what STEM is within disciplines concerning subjects that are interrelated; (2) how STEM is implemented and analyzed in education; and (3) why STEM is relevant to fulfill the young citizens’ needs and to prepare them for a future in society (Bybee 2013). This paper intends to contribute to the debate concerning how STEM is analyzed. Within this frame, a relevant point concerns the distinction between the “knowledge of science” and the “knowledge about science” (Kim et al 2012). The second one is related to the critical thinking and the scientific activities including argumentative processes. The perspective assumed here will focus on the latter and, more on the investigation of reasoning in scientific activities.
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