Supporting Scientific Practice through Model-Based Inquiry: A Students'-Eye View of Grappling with Data, Uncertainty,...

Area of Science:

• Biology Education
• Scientific Modeling

Background:

• Modeling is a key scientific practice for reasoning, inquiry, and collaborative understanding.
• Undergraduate science courses often lack opportunities for students to engage deeply with modeling practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore undergraduate students' perspectives on scientific modeling within a laboratory course.
• To understand how students perceive modeling's role in scientific reasoning, hypothesis generation, and learning.

Main Methods:

• Comparative case studies of eight undergraduate students over one semester.
• Students participated in the Authentic Inquiry through Modeling in Biology (AIM-Bio) course, proposing, testing, and revising their own models.

Main Results:

• Students utilized models for scientific reasoning, hypothesis generation, and navigating uncertainty.
• Challenges in modeling, such as dealing with uncertainty and integrating diverse ideas, promoted deeper thinking.
• Students reported increased feelings of scientific authenticity and agency through the modeling process.

Conclusions:

• Model-based inquiry, when supported by diverse models, uncertainty management, and collaboration, can establish modeling as a legitimate scientific practice for students.
• Encouraging model-based inquiry in biology education can enhance student participation, interest, and persistence in STEM fields.