E. Michael Nussbaum (Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education), Ph.D., published an article in Science Education detailing a year-long professional development for middle school science teachers in Clark County School District. The study, led by Dr. Nussbaum, Ian Dove (Philosophy), Ph.D., and LeAnn Putney (Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education emerita), Ph.D., shows that critical questions – a philosophical tool designed to focus students’ attention on evaluating argument quality – can help both teachers and students use scientific argumentation. It also provides evidence that students’ confidence in critiquing arguments increased, that their writing improved, and that students in middle schools with relatively low income levels and higher emergent multilingual learner (EML) populations can evaluate arguments successfully. Teachers also increased in their confidence for scientific argumentation.

For more information about the study, contact E. Michael Nussbaum (michael.nussbaum@unlv.edu) or Michael S. Van Winkle (vanwinkl@unlv.nevada.edu). The study was conducted through the Argumentation Lab in the Department of Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education.