Abstract
In this paper, we explore cross-domain versus domain-specific scientific epistemological understanding. Research about relationships between such understandings shows mixed results. The ambiguities may result from the instruments used. Unlike most studies, we combined instruments from the personal- and science-epistemology research traditions. Students in Grades 6 to 9 in a science-centred school completed adaptations of the Epistemological Thinking Assessment (ETA) (Kuhn, Cheney, & Weinstock, 2000) and the Views of Science-Technology-Society (VOSTS) (Aikenhead & Ryan, 1992) instruments. Regular-school students in Grades 7 and 9 also completed the ETA. Developmental patterns on the ETA emerged as expected in both schools. However, the science-centred students’ views of knowledge in the social and physical domains seem more differentiated and sophisticated. Their performance on the VOSTS tended toward higher scores, although lower than expected. There was no significant relationship between performance on the ETA and on the VOSTS. The findings propose domain-specific aspects of epistemological understanding and development.
Sommaire exécutif
La recherche sur l’epistemologie des sciences et sur l’epistemologie personnelle fait ressortir des similarités entre la représentation générale de certaines opinions, complexes ou naïves, et les opinions que maintiennent les étudiants. Pourtant, la recherche sur l’epistemologie personnelle reflète une position généralisée dans le domaine qu’on ne retrouve pas normalement dans la recherche en enseignement des sciences. Peu d’études ont en effet analysé le lien entre les concepts épistémologiques généraux et les concepts épistémologiques spécifiques à un domaine, et en particulier ceux qui sont spécifiques au domaine des sciences. Une meilleure compréhension de la nature des connaissances épistémologiques générales ou spécifiques à certains domaines pourrait avoir des implications pour les curriculums scientifiques, surtout dans le cas des programmes qui proposent une approche interdisciplinaire ou STS.
Dans cette étude, nous avons fait un premier pas dans l’analyse de ces liens. Nous avons associé deux instruments qui se distinguent par leur niveau de spécificité au regard de chaque domaine: les questionnaires VOSTS (Views on Science-Tedmology-Society) (Aikenhead et Ryan, 1992) et ETA Epistmological Thinking Assessment) (Kuhn, Cheney, et Weinstock, 2000). Nous avons examiné deux questions: (1) y a-t-il un lien entre la compréhension des concepts épistémologiques généraux et scientifiques? (2) y a-t-il un lien entre l’apprentissage spécifique des sciences et la compréhension des concepts épistémologiques généraux ?
Des étudiants de sixième (N=75), septième (N=68), huitième (JV=66) et neuvième année scolaire (N= 34), dans une école à orientation scientifique en Israël (école publique qui fait passer des tests d’admission) ont répondu à des variantes des questionnaires ETA et VOSTS. Le curriculum est le même que le curriculum standard national, sauf qu’il comprend des heures supplémentaires en sciences, sans mettre explicitement l’accent sur l’epistemologie. Les résultats provenant de cette école ont été comparés aux résultats d’une autre étude, menée dans une école plus standard où 63 élèves de septième et 70 élèves de neuvième année avaient répondu au questionnaire ETA.
La variante du questionnaire VOSTS comprenait cinq questions à choix obligé, évaluées selon une échelle à trois niveaux classant les opinions de très nuancées à purement objectivistes. Les questions individuelles n’étaient pas liées de façon significatives. La distribution des évaluations était normale, même si la courbe était légèrement faussée en faveur des notes plus élevées. Il n’y avait aucune différence significative d’une année scolaire à l’autre. La performance au test VOSTS n’était pas liée de façon significative à la performance au test ETA. Les résultats de type évaluativistes et multiplistes (les deux niveaux les plus élevés de l’ETA) étaient distribués de façon à peu près égale dans les scores VOSTS élevés et moyens.
Dans le cas des deux écoles, l’évolution de l’absolutisme â l’évaluativisme dans tous les domaines est semblable aux résultats de Kuhn et al. (2000), mais cette ressemblance est encore plus marquée dans l’école standard. Dans l’école plus centrée sur les sciences, les étudiants avaient tendance â être ou bien absolutistes ou bien évaluativistes, tandis que dans les autres groupes la plupart étaient multiplistes. Il est surprenant de constater que la proportion plus élevées d’absolutistes à l’école orientée sur les sciences se manifestait aussi dans le domaine physique.
De façon générale, les résultats de cette étude suggèrent que les connaissances épistémolo-giques sont spécifiques aux disciplines, et que l’immersion dans un champ d’études en particulier contribue au développement de la compréhension des concepts épistémologiques. Ce qui semble être des opinions de type général pourraient simplement refléter une compréhension superficielle et donc indifférenciée des concepts épistémologiques. l’immersion peut permettre d’élaborer certaines opinions sur la connaissance dans une discipline donnée et ainsi permettre de la distinguer d’autres champs de la connaissance. Le fait que les résultats recueillis à l’école standard étaient hautement compatibles avec les résultats de Kuhn et al. (2000), alors que ceux de l’école centrée sur les sciences ne l’étaient pas, indique que l’immersion joue un rôle dans une discipline donnée pour ce qui est du processus de differentiation. l’hypothèse de l’efiicacité potentielle de l’immersion est soutenue par la plus haute proportion d’évaluativistes à l’école orientée sur les sciences. Cependant, le nombre élevé d’absolutistes suggère qu’il se crée une vision des sciences comme domaine privilégié. Une implication pour l’éducation pourrait donc être l’idée de contrebalancer l’immersion en sciences par des approches susceptibles d’atténuer cet aspect privilégiant.
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Tabak, I., Weinstock, M.P. Knowledge Is Knowledge Is Knowledge? The Relationship between Personal and Scientific Epistemologies. Can J Sci Math Techn 5, 307–328 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1080/14926150509556664
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14926150509556664