Influence of epistemic knowledge in the development of scientific practices: the epis-pract project

Resumo

EPIS-PRACT is a three-year project funded by FEDER and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. It seeks to analyse the influence of epistemic knowledge in the development of scientific practices (inquiry, modelling and argumentation).The general purpose is subdivided into three specific goals:1) to characterise the aspects of Epistemology and Nature of Science involved in the development of the inquiry, modelling and argumentation practices in the classroom;2) to examine the influence of epistemic knowledge in students' performances in inquiry, modelling and argumentation practices; and3) to analyse the influence of epistemic knowledge in the teaching strategies utilised to promote students' engagement in scientific practices.The main hypothesis that guides this project is that the epistemic knowledge involved in the development of scientific practices is necessary to meaningfully engage in the practices because it is required, for instance, to understand how scientific claims are supported by data and reasoning in Science (argumentation), the use and role of physical, system and abstract models and their limits (modelling) or how measurement error affects the degree of confidence in a scientific research (inquiry).The project comprises a set of studies framed in different types of design from qualitative research, such as longitudinal and single and multiple case studies, as well as different orientations: theoretical and practical. The theoretical perspective is addressed to identify the aspects of metaknowledge or knowledge about epistemology and nature of science that influence students' engagement in scientific practices to a greater extent. The empirical perspective is aimed at analysing the impact of the previously identified factors in real educational settings, regarding both students' performances and teaching strategies.In this communication, a review of literature corresponding to the theoretical perspective is discussed and some examples of learning materials are presented.