The Role of Metalanguage in an Explicit Literacy Instruction on Scientific Explanation
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The Role of Metalanguage in an Explicit Literacy Instruction on Scientific Explanation Kok-Sing Tang 1
& Natasha
Anne Rappa 2
Received: 30 January 2020 / Accepted: 11 August 2020/ # Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan 2020
Abstract This paper illustrates the role of metalanguage in an explicit literacy instruction to talk about the forms and functions of scientific genres, particularly the genre of explanation. In the context of science, metalanguage refers to the technical terms for talking about scientific language using words like law, hypothesis, and evidence. Despite many efforts to use literacy strategies to address the challenges of learning scientific language, the conventional genres commonly found in science remain implicit in most science classroom teaching. In order to explicitly discuss the nature of scientific genres and how they are linked to scientific practices, scientific metalanguage provides a potential literacy tool. To illustrate this argument, we draw on a case study where four teachers and their grade 9 students learned how to use a specific type of metalanguage to describe scientific explanation. Analysis of their classroom discourse showed that the use of the metalanguage facilitated explicit communication about the logical sequence, epistemic structure, and validity of scientific explanation. Based on the findings, we discuss the usefulness of metalanguage for teachers and students to describe and analyze scientific genres as well as how these genres are used to construct and communicate scientific knowledge. Keywords Language of science . Literacy instruction . Metalanguage . Scientific
explanation . Genre
Introduction The unique features of scientific language pose significant challenges for most students in gaining access to scientific knowledge and practices (Lemke, 1990). With growing
* Kok-Sing Tang kok–[email protected]
1
STEM Education Research Group, School of Education, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, Western Australia 6845, Australia
2
School of Education, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia
K.-S. Tang, N. A. Rappa
awareness of these challenges, there has been more emphasis on the use of literacy instruction in science classrooms over the last two decades (Pearson, Moje, & Greenleaf, 2010). This emphasis toward subject-specific literacy is evident in many science curriculum standards and developments around the world (Tang & Danielsson, 2018), which underscore the place for science teachers to use their “content area expertise to help students meet the particular challenges of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language in their respective fields” (Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010, p. 3). As such, the importance of embedding literacy instruction within science classroom teaching and learning is well-acknowledged among education researchers and practitioners (Moje, 2007). There have been a number of literacy-focused instructional approaches that provide exposure for students to various aspects of scientific language, suc
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