TWO GRAPHS DON’T MAKE A WHOLE: THE SYNTHESIS OF DISPARATE GRAPHS IN INQUIRY-BASED SCIENCE LEARNING

摘要: A comparative synthesis of multiple graphs is a common practice in scientists’ work as well as in everyday contexts. This process involves elements of a meta-analytic approach, such as computation of effect size measures. We present findings from classroom enactments in Israeli and Cypriot high schools, in which cultivating students’ graph meta-analysis skills was one aspect of fostering scientific literacy through an inquiry-based learning environment on socio-scientific dilemmas. The topic of the environment was “How can we choose the best smoking cessation aid?” and it required students to compare four smoking cessation treatments using graphs modified from recently published scientific articles. The specific task which is the focus of this paper required students to merge data from two line graphs, in order to rank the treatments by their efficiency, defined as abstinence from smoking. In contrast with a previous pilot study, most of the students ranked the treatments correctly, and an examination of students' justification for their rankings indicated a significant improvement in the quality of arguments. A comparison of pre-and post-enactment responses to graph synthesis tasks showed a significant improvement but on the other hand indicated that graph synthesis is a demanding task for most of the students, even following a focused intervention. Our findings highlight the challenges that learners and teachers encountered and their implications for future instruction and design.