Video Analysis of Argument and Explanation in an Introductory Classroom

Recent efforts to transform science education have highlighted the importance of engaging students in scientific practices in order to develop their understanding of both the process and knowledge of science. This work focuses on identifying the scientific practices of Engaging in Argument from Evidence and Constructing Explanations in classroom video data. Our goal is to answer, “How can we identify when students are engaging in scientific practices in the classroom?” We are analyzing video recordings from an introductory physics class where students work on problems in groups of four for the entire two-hour class period. I have analyzed these videos for signs of students both engaging in argument and constructing explanations. This poster will discuss similarities and differences between these two practices and discuss how we can identify these practices in a valid and reliable way. This will allow us to investigate how students’ use these practices throughout a semester.