Scientific Reasoning and Argumentation: The Roles of Domain-Specific and Domain-General Knowledge

Competence in scientific reasoning is one of the most valued outcomes of secondary and higher education. However, there is a need for a deeper understanding of and further research into the roles of domain-general and domain-specific knowledge in such reasoning. This book explores the functions and limitations of domain-general conceptions of reasoning and argumentation, the substantial differences that exist between the disciplines, and the role of domain-specific knowledge and epistemologies. Featuring chapters and commentaries by widely cited experts in the learning sciences, educational psychology, science education, history education, and cognitive science, Scientific Reasoning and Argumentation presents new perspectives on a decades-long debate about the role of domain-specific knowledge and its contribution to the development of more general reasoning abilities.

Frank Fischer is Full Professor of Educational Science and Educational Psychology, Department of Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Germany.

Clark A. Chinn is Full Professor of Educational Psychology at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, USA.

Katharina Engelmann is Research Fellow at TUM School of Education at Technical University of Munich, Germany.

Jonathan Osborne is Kamalchari Professor of Science Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, USA.