Complexity of student’s argument in reasoning plant tissue system through multiple representations

Abstract

Understanding of pre-service Biology teachers about the structure system of complex plant tissue represented a modest reasoning ability, by doing so, it needed an effort to develop that skill. Training the reasoning skill by using multiple representations supported by argumentative explanations played an important role in understanding complex systems. Nevertheless the existing learning tools were limited to worksheets facilitating learning to understand the concepts of using external representations. The aim of this study was to examine whether instructional support by utilizing multiple representations can help students constructing their reasoning argument framework about complex systems. This study involved 30 pre-service biology teachers, which studying tissue plant system using multiple representations. The data in reasoning argument framework about complex systems were obtained using worksheets, developed according to multi-representation pedagogy and hierarchy of system thinking. The research findings showed that most of the students were able to construct complex, complicated argument frameworks. The use of multiple representations could provide benefits for students obtaining evidence to support complex relationship claims within the system.