REASON Winter School 2019: Keynote Prof. Sibel Erduran

Your thesis as an argument: How are you justifying your claims?
Sibel Erduran (University of Oxford)

A doctoral thesis is based on a long journey of learning about the research process. Like Charles Darwin who famously referred to his book The Origin of Species as “one long argument”, your dissertation will be based on an argument. From the formulation of the research problem to the development of research questions, analytical tools and evaluation of results, effective use of arguments is critical in thesis development. How do you justify the study of the problem? What claims are you making about what is lacking in the literature so that you are justified in studying the particular aspect? What data do you select to use and why? What reasons do you have for preferring one analytical approach instead of another? Such questions demand that you engage in evidence-based reasoning or argumentation, and that you present your work in a way that convinces the readers of your thesis that you are relying on evidence and reason. In this talk, I will review some ideas about argument drawing on research findings that illustrate effective engagement. I will draw on some strategies that might facilitate the use of argument in your own work.

Short Bio: Sibel Erduran is a Professor of Science Education at University of Oxford and a Fellow of St Cross College. Prior to her move to Oxford, she served as the Director of EPI-STEM, National Centre for STEM Education based at University of Limerick, Ireland. She has held Visiting Professorships at National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan, Kristianstad University, Sweden, and Bogazici University, Turkey. She is an Editor for International Journal of Science Education, Section Editor for Science Education and serves on the Executive Board of European Science Education Research Association. Her work experience also includes positions at University of Pittsburgh, USA, King’s College London and University of Bristol. Her higher education was completed in the USA at Vanderbilt (PhD, Science Education & Philosophy), Cornell (MSc, Food Chemistry) and Northwestern (BA, Biochemistry) Universities. She has worked as a chemistry teacher in a high school in northern Cyprus. Her research interests focus on the infusion of epistemic practices of science in science education including professional development of science teachers. Her work on argumentation has received international recognition through awards from NARST and EASE, and attracted funding from a range of agencies including the European Union, Nuffield Foundation, Gatsby Foundation and Science Foundation Ireland. She is currently managing a project funded by the Wellcome Trust on assessment of practical science and she has an upcoming edited book on argumentation in chemistry education to be published by Royal Society of Chemistry.