Elementary School Students’ Understanding of “Results” and “Discussion” in a Process of Scientific Problem-Solving: From the Perspective of the Distinction Between Observations and Inferences

Abstract

This study examined elementary school students’ understanding of “results” (statements of observations obtained through observing and experimenting) and “discussion” ( statements of inferences obtained through reasoning from observations) in scientific inquiry. A combination of a paper-pencil test and face-to-face interviews with 192 students from two elementary schools was employed. The results revealed that most students understood that observations encompass factual statements or descriptions obtained through observing, while inferences comprise statements about opinions or personal ideas with explanations based on observations. Although students could easily distinguish between inferences and observations when presented with statements, identifying inferences was more difficult for them than identifying observations. Differentiation strategies between observations and inferences varied among students, with some emphasizing the acts of observation and measurement in the observational and experimental activities, while others focused on the linguistic aspect of the expressions at the end of sentences. Moreover, students with prior related scientific knowledge tended to perceive statements of inferences as objective facts, prioritizing content knowledge perspectives. Students recognized that both observations and inferences could be fallible and acknowledged the need for objectivity when constructing observations. Some students recognized that both observations and inferences could be fallible and acknowledged the need for the objectivity of the statements of inferences when constructing observations. The reproducibility of observations was also noted. However, when attempting to mentally draw inferences from observations, students struggled to articulate a cohesive argument soundly connecting observations to inferences. Instead, they answered only the statement of inferences without referring to the statement of observations. The study’s findings suggest implications for science teaching and learning, emphasizing the importance of explicitly teaching the nature of observations and inferences in scientific inquiry and promoting argumentation that effectively connects observations to inferences.