Student Development of Sensemaking Questions about Ecological Phenomena: A Case of Making Sense of Ants in the Schoolyard

Abstract

The process of sensemaking usually begins with a question about a natural phenomenon. This underscores the importance for students to learn how to develop questions for sensemaking if the field of science education envisions them becoming epistemic agents capable of making sense of the world in their daily lives, as learned in the science classroom. This study explored how students develop questions about biological phenomena for sensemaking and the teacher’s supports for the students’ practice of developing such questions. The findings illustrate a case involving a student group whose initial generation and subsequent revision of sensemaking questions are clearly outlined. Teacher support for student question development includes: (a) providing a detailed explanation of what questions aimed at the goal of sensemaking is like based on student-created ideas; (b) the teacher’s provision of disciplinary practices for empirical investigation; and (c) guiding students to concretize the investigation process for data collection. This study contributes to creating a science classroom environment that supports students’ development of epistemic agency for making sense of the natural world.