Abstract
Students commonly find specialist scientific language problematic. This study investigated developments in chemical language usage by six non-traditional students over the course of 1 to 4 years. The students participated in semi-structured interviews and were asked to explain specific chemical scenarios. Interviews were transcribed and analysed for the correct use of macroscopic and sub-microscopic scientific language and occurrences of interlanguage. Results indicate that students experienced difficulties incorporating sub-microscopic language into their explanations. Students also demonstrated potential chemical interlanguage, which we characterise as transitioning from vague to defined use, combining everyday and scientific language, interchanging terms and omission of terms and formulaic phrases. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to science pedagogy.
Highlights
The central importance of language in science teaching and learning is well established (Carlsen 2007; Lemke 1990; Markic and Childs 2016; Wellington and Osborne 2001)
We identified potential chemical interlanguage within five different themes: transitioning from vague to defined use, everyday and scientific language, interchanging, omissions and formulaic phrases
In relation to research question 1, data indicate the occurrence of potential chemical interlanguage classified within five themes, namely vague to defined use, everyday and scientific language, interchanging, omissions and formulaic phrases
Summary
The central importance of language in science teaching and learning is well established (Carlsen 2007; Lemke 1990; Markic and Childs 2016; Wellington and Osborne 2001). Learning science requires students to develop linguistic competence to participate in subject-specific discourse and engage in the social language of science using specific vocabulary (Mortimer and Scott 2003) This vocabulary presents many challenges, such as words which have different and specific meanings in science compared to everyday contexts or have multiple meanings (Cassels and Johnstone 1985; Gardner 1972; Rees et al 2018a). Scientific language relates to words used to explain natural phenomena in a chemical context These challenges are significant for all science students but become even more valuable to understand from a pedagogical perspective as student populations become increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse and varied in prior knowledge levels (Cink and Song 2016).
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