Dual Lenses on Science Classroom Interaction: New Publication
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When it comes to understanding how students learn physics concepts, sometimes we need to look through more than one lens 🔍🔍
I'm excited to share our latest paper, "Dual Lenses on Science Classroom Interaction: A Multimodal and Embodied Analysis of Learning Newton's Laws in a Primary Physics Classroom," recently published in Science & Education.
The paper presents a methodological contribution to science education research: Together with my Swedish colleagues Fredrik Jeppsson, Jesper Haglund, and Kristina Danielsson, we explored how combining different theoretical perspectives can provide a richer understanding of science classroom interaction.
Breaking down methodological silos
A challenge we've identified in science education research is that learning processes are often analysed through a single theoretical lens. While this approach certainly has value, it may not capture the full complexity of teaching and learning science concepts.
To address this limitation, we adopted an explicit dual theoretical approach, working in two "method teams" to analyse the same dataset from different perspectives:
a social semiotics team exploring language and multimodal communication
an embodied cognition team focusing on the role of the body in understanding physics
What we discovered
By analysing video data from primary-school students learning Newtonian physics, our dual-lens approach revealed nuances that might have been missed using a single analytical framework. Some key insights include:
how agency and causation are constructed differently through linguistic patterns versus embodied experiences
the interplay between semantic relationships and physical experiences in building conceptual understanding
the crucial role of analogical reasoning in teaching abstract physical concepts
the importance of explicit instruction in connecting embodied activities to formal physics concepts
Why this matters
This methodological innovation opens new possibilities for science education research. By leveraging the strengths of different theoretical traditions, we can develop more comprehensive approaches to understanding and enhancing science learning.
As we argue in the paper, such interdisciplinary collaborations are crucial for making meaningful progress in our field and beyond. It was a delight to work with my Swedish colleagues, who showed much enthusiasm for crossing theoretical boundaries and creating this methodological bridge.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on using multiple theoretical perspectives in research – do you think this approach could enhance your own work?