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CLAIM, EVIDENCE, AND REASONING TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING AND CONCEPT RETENTION IN MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE  \nby  \nJennifer Nardiello  \nA professional paper submitted in partial fulfillment  \nof the requirements for the degree  \nof  \nMaster of Science  \nin  \nScience Education  \nMONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY  \nBozeman, Montana  \n©COPYRIGHT by  \nJennifer Nardiello  \n2022  \nAll Rights Reserved  \nii  \nDEDICATION  \nThis paper is dedicated to my late husband who always pushed me to be the best I could be. Thank you and I will love you always Michael.  \niii  \nACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  \nKeith Miller for allowing me to experiment on my students.  \nKathy Foley and Karen Alley for all oftheir help and expertise.  \niv  \nTABLE OF CONTENTS  \n1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND ...............................................................................1  \nContext of the Study .................................................................................................................... 1  \nFocus Statement/Question ...........................................................................................................3  \n2. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ...............................................................................................4  \nUsing Inquiry ...............................................................................................................................4  \nNext Generation Science Standards .............................................................................................5  \nAssessment...................................................................................................................................7  \nClaim Evidence and Reasoning ...................................................................................................9  \n3. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................... 12  \nDemographics ............................................................................................................................ 12  \nTreatment ................................................................................................................................... 14  \nData Collection and Analysis Strategies ....................................................................................16  \n4. DATA ANALYSIS...................................................................................................................21  \n5. CLAIM, EVIDENCE, AND REASONING ..............................................................................28  \nClaims From the Study ..............................................................................................................28  \nValue of the Study and Considerations for Future Research .....................................................30  \nImpact of the Action Research on the Author ...........................................................................31  \nREFERENCES CITED..................................................................................................................33  \nAPPENDICES ...............................................................................................................................37  \nAPPENDIX A: IRB Approval Letter ................................................................................37  \nAPPENDIX B: Survey Given to Students .........................................................................38  \nAPPENDIX C: Concept Map Instructions and Word List ................................................39  \nAPPENDIX D: Density Handout Given to All Students for Notebooks...........................40  \nAPPENDIX E: Student Paper and Rubric Used for CER..................................................41  \nAPPENDIX F: Final Project for 8th Grade Students..........................................................43  \nv  \nLIST OF TABLES  \nTable Page  \n1. Research Matrix ............................................","cbCaiaIKYhUdLzyE","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiaIKYhUdLzyE","pdf",812118,53,"English","# Introduction and Background\n## Context of the Study\n## Focus Statement/Question\n# Conceptual Framework\n## Using Inquiry\n## Next Generation Science Standards\n## Assessment\n## Claim Evidence and Reasoning\n# Methodology\n## Demographics\n## Treatment\n## Data Collection and Analysis Strategies\n# Data Analysis\n# Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning\n## Claims From the Study\n## Value of the Study and Considerations for Future Research\n## Impact of the Action Research on the Author\n# References Cited\n# Appendices\n## Appendix A: IRB Approval Letter\n## Appendix B: Survey Given to Students\n## Appendix C: Concept Map Instructions and Word List\n## Appendix D: Density Handout Given to All Students for Notebooks\n## Appendix E: Student Paper and Rubric Used for CER\n## Appendix F: Final Project for 8th Grade Students","[{\"question\":\"What teaching approach does the study evaluate to improve students’ learning?\",\"answer\":\"The study evaluates the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) method, using it to support students’ understanding and long-term retention of science concepts.\"},{\"question\":\"How are the classes organized in the research design?\",\"answer\":\"One eighth-grade class functions as a baseline/control group without explicit CER instruction, while the other two classes are explicitly taught CER and use worksheets to strengthen analysis and reasoning during density experiments and labs.\"},{\"question\":\"What concept area is the CER intervention focused on?\",\"answer\":\"The intervention focuses on the concept of density, with students applying CER across multiple applications and instructional activities during the school year.\"}]","Using Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning to Improve Understanding and Concept Retention in Middle School Science | PDF",19]