ERIC Number: ED130837
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1971
Pages: 50
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Analyzing the Basis for Knowledge Claims in Science Textbooks, A Method and a Case Study. The Explanatory Modes Project, Background Paper No. 6.
Kilbourn, Brent
Five questions are developed as an analytical scheme by which the basis for knowledge claims in science textbooks can be analyzed. The scheme is based on three conditions of knowledge: (1) if the claim is true (the truth condition), (2) if there is adequate evidence for the claim (the evidence condition), and (3) if the claim is believed to be true (the belief condition). From these conditions, five questions were developed: (1) Are qualifiers present in the claim? (2a) Is the claim true by definition? (2b) Which theory of truth seems to be implied by the text as the basis for considering a given claim to be true? (3) What is the nature of support for a claim? (4) Where is support for the claim located? and (5) What "beliefs" provide a basis for the claim? Using these questions, six pages from a high school biology textbook are presented and analyzed for knowledge claims. (MH)
Descriptors: Biology, Case Studies, Content Analysis, Educational Research, Epistemology, Evaluation, Instructional Materials, Science Education, Scientific Concepts, Secondary Education, Secondary School Science, Textbook Content
Explanatory Modes Project, Ontario Inst. for Studies in Education, 252 Bloor St., West, Toronto 181, Ontario, Canada (no price quoted)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Ontario Inst. for Studies in Education, Toronto. Dept. of Curriculum.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: For related documents, see SE 021 323-327