Show text (PDF) - bei DuEPublico - an der Universität Duisburg-Essen
Show text (PDF) - bei DuEPublico - an der Universität Duisburg-Essen
Show text (PDF) - bei DuEPublico - an der Universität Duisburg-Essen
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
2. Theoretical Framework 27<br />
un<strong>der</strong>lying principles. Scientific reasoning is a feature of a good expl<strong>an</strong>ation within<br />
the con<strong>text</strong> of inquiry learning.<br />
reference<br />
Existing<br />
knowledge<br />
(from earlier<br />
experiments<br />
or lessons)<br />
include<br />
Justifications<br />
Experiment<br />
before after<br />
Hypothesis<br />
Expl<strong>an</strong>ations<br />
Result<br />
Figure 4. Justifications <strong>an</strong>d Inferences<br />
include<br />
Inferences<br />
are included in are included in reference<br />
New<br />
knowledge<br />
(from data<br />
collected<br />
experiment<br />
Types of Expl<strong>an</strong>ations in Inquiry<br />
)<br />
In inquiry learning, learners are expected to develop scientific expl<strong>an</strong>ations. When<br />
students develop expl<strong>an</strong>ations during inquiry learning, they often engage in every-<br />
day reasoning processes instead of scientific reasoning processes. Indeed, scientific<br />
expl<strong>an</strong>ations are similar to everyday expl<strong>an</strong>ations on m<strong>an</strong>y accounts. Both share that<br />
expl<strong>an</strong>ations provide a larger framework that goes beyond the original phenomenon<br />
<strong>an</strong>d they provide a feeling of un<strong>der</strong>st<strong>an</strong>ding (Brewer et al., 1998). Moreover,<br />
expl<strong>an</strong>ations c<strong>an</strong> be causal-mech<strong>an</strong>ical or functional-intentional. Causal-mech<strong>an</strong>ical<br />
expl<strong>an</strong>ations describe a mech<strong>an</strong>ism. They c<strong>an</strong> provide <strong>an</strong> <strong>an</strong>swer to a question that<br />
starts with “how”:e.g., “How is sugar <strong>bei</strong>ng created during the photosynthetic<br />
process?”). Causal-mech<strong>an</strong>ical expl<strong>an</strong>ations are provided to describe “how”<br />
something happens. In contrast, functional-intentional expl<strong>an</strong>ations describe not<br />
(only) a process but also presume some kind of purpose. Those expl<strong>an</strong>ations are<br />
provided to <strong>an</strong>swer questions starting with “why”:e.g., “Why do pl<strong>an</strong>ts turn towards<br />
the light?”). Hence, they have a teleological character, because they are based on the<br />
in