Abstract
Critique is central to the development of scientific knowledge. From a cognitive perspective, critique can be used to enhance understanding. From a social perspective, critique serves to maintain the standards of a professional field. In science education, it is of tremendous value to diagnose and nurture students’ critical knowledge. How students develop and apply criteria for critique, however, remains unclear. What factors influence students’ performance of critique, and how can educators incorporate technology-enhanced scaffolding strategies to help diagnose and nurture students’ critical knowledge? In this paper, I define critical knowledge as the criteria people use to evaluate other knowledge, the ability to use these criteria across contexts, and the reflective understanding of such processes. Building on existing literature, I develop a conceptual framework that describes the components and processes involved in a critique activity. Using this framework, I discuss the application of technology-enhanced scaffolding strategies to facilitate critique activities in science classrooms.
