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Scientific argument and explanation: A necessary distinction?
Author(s) -
Osborne Jonathan F.,
Patterson Alexis
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
science education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.209
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1098-237X
pISSN - 0036-8326
DOI - 10.1002/sce.20438
Subject(s) - argument (complex analysis) , epistemology , conflation , clarity , philosophy of science , scholarship , confusion , field (mathematics) , sociology , psychology , philosophy , political science , law , mathematics , psychoanalysis , pure mathematics , biochemistry , chemistry
In this paper, we argue that there is an emergent confusion in the literature in the use of the terms “argument'' and “explanation.” Drawing on a range of publications, we point to instances where these terms are either used inappropriately or conflated. We argue that the distinction between these two constructs is, however, important as a lack of clarity of fundamental concepts is problematic for a field. First, a lack of common conception hinders effective communication and, second, it makes defining the nature of the activity we might expect students to engage in more difficult. Drawing on a body of scholarship on argument and explanation, this paper is an attempt to clarify the distinction and to explain why such a distinction might matter. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 95: 627–638, 2011