The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) designates engaging in argument from evidence as one of eight key science practices. Though constructing arguments is key to how scientific knowledge is created, there are not very many opportunities for chemistry learners to meaningfully engage in this practice. We report on the development and implementation of a written argument task, which required students to interpret data, construct arguments, review each other’s arguments, and revise their arguments. This argument task including peer review was administered electronically through the course management site in a first-semester general chemistry course (N=405). Each task included four separate data sets and each student reviewed three peers. The data was analyzed to distinguish between students’ argument construction and critique. To do this, the structure and quality of students’ initial draft arguments were compared to their critiques of their peers’ arguments. Findings, which include comparison of student participation in argument construction and critique, will be presented. These findings shed light on how students participate in the practice of argumentation and have implications for how peer review can be used in general chemistry.

Arguing from evidence: Development and testing of an argument task in general chemistry

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

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