Exploring the Role of Dialogue and Technology in Students’ Development and Utilization of Representations in Chemistry

This study investigates how preservice science teachers (PSTs) develop and utilize representations in chemistry when they engage in argument-based inquiry environments using the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach. The data-transformation variant of convergent design, which is a particular form of mixed method research, was used in the study. There were three studies: minimal dialogue (SWH-MD), rich dialogue (SWH-RD) and rich dialogue with technology (SWH-RDT). The participants consisted of 32 PSTs (3 for the first study, 9 for the second study, and 20 for the third study) who enrolled in the Chemistry 1 course in different years and participated in 10 activities over one semester. A total of 320 SWH lab reports were analyzed: 30 in the first study, 90 in the second study, and 200 in the third study. Each of the PSTs’ laboratory reports were analyzed considering multiple levels of representations utilized (macroscopic, microscopic, symbolic and algebraic), and the SWH components (design, observation, claim, evidence, and reflection). The results highlighted that the PSTs’ representational competency increased over time in all studies. As studies shifted from minimal dialogue to rich dialogue with technology, PSTs started using more connected and different types of representations. Even though there is no difference when using technology in the total percentage of representations use, the results show that PSTs use the microscopic level in a more connected way, earlier in time (such as development phase) and throughout the components of the SWH approach.