Abduction and analogy in scientific model construction

Abstract

ESI-9911401. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation 2Abstract This study uses qualitative case study methods to study innovative teaching in biology at the middle school level. The findings are then compared to findings from a previous study of learning in electricity at the high school level. By looking for common successful learning processes in two different subject matter domains, we identify teaching strategies that foster conceptual growth and that are candidates for being considered general teaching strategies in science. The teachers in both domains used new approaches to teaching that are innovative in the way that they foster active learning of conceptual models on the part of the student. In order to understand the nature of the teaching and learning processes generated by these teachers, we attempt to develop a finer grained set of concepts and language for describing them. Framework and Previous Research Recent work has identified model construction cycles of generation, evaluation, and modification (GEM cycles) as a promising process in conceptual growth (Clement, 2000b; Nunez, et al, 2002). One of the elements still missing is sufficient discussion of cognitive processes of the teacher and students working together while building mental models. This paper will focus on abductive model generation within GEM cycles as defined above. Cognitive science researchers have provided exciting new resources for theory development in this area. For example, Nersessian’s (1990) studies of Faraday and Maxwell have caused a stir in the Cognitive Science and History of Science communities because of her new emphasis on nondeductive processes such as model based abductive theory construction that works in progressive cycles of partially