Dr. Sampson's research examines how students engage in argumentation in the context of science and ways to make the interactions that take place between students, materials, and ideas during an episode of argumentation more productive in terms of learning. His current work focuses on the ways students support, evaluate, and revise ideas through discussion and writing in the context of science, group and individual meaning making during episodes of argumentation, the development of innovative instructional materials and strategies that emphasize argumentation as part of the teaching and learning of science, and how teachers' views about science, learning, and science teaching affect how they attempt to promote and support argumentation inside the classroom. He has published numerous articles, book chapters and books related to these issues. He has received several awards for his scholarship, including the 2008 National Association for Research in Science Teaching Outstanding Dissertation award and the 2012 National Association for Research in Science Teaching Early Career award.
Dr. Sampson teaches both undergraduate and graduate level science education courses that focus on how people learn, instructional design, and assessment. His teaching philosophy is rooted in theories of learning that stress the importance of experience, interaction with others, the evaluation of alternative ideas, and metacognition. As a result, his courses tend to engage students in cycles of inquiry, reading, discussion, and a project that requires the application of new ideas and principles to authentic problems.
Grooms, J., Enderle, P., Murphy, A., Hutner, T. & Sampson, V. (2016). Argument-Driven Inquiry in Physical Science: Lab investigations for grades 6-8. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
Walker, J., Sampson, V., Southerland, S. & Enderle, P. (2016). Using laboratory to engage students in science practices. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 17, 1098–1113.
Enderle, P., Gleim, L., Granger, E., Grooms, J., Hester, M., Murphy, A., Sampson, V. & Southerland, S. (2015). Argument-Driven Inquiry in Life Science: Lab investigations for grades 6-8. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
Grooms, J., Enderle, P. & Sampson, V. (2015). Coordinating Scientific Argumentation and the Next Generation Science Standards through Argument Driven Inquiry. Science Educator, 24(1), 45–50.
Sampson, V., Enderle, P., Gleim, L., Grooms, J., Hester, M., Southerland, S. & Wilson, K. (2014). Argument-Driven Inquiry in Biology: Lab investigations for grades 9-12. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
Sampson, V., Carafano, P., Enderle, P., Fannin, S., Grooms, J., Southerland, S., Stallworth, C. & Williams, K. (2014). Argument-Driven Inquiry in Chemistry: Lab investigations for grades 9-12. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
Grooms, J., Sampson, V. & Golden, B. (2014). Comparing the effectiveness of verification and inquiry laboratories in supporting undergraduate science students in constructing arguments around socioscientific issues. International Journal of Science Education, 36(9), 1412–1433.
Walker, J. & Sampson, V. (2013). Learning to argue and arguing to learn in science: Argument-Driven Inquiry as a way to help undergraduate chemistry students learn how to construct arguments and engage in argumentation during a laboratory course. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 50(50), 561–596.
Sampson, V., Enderle, P., Grooms, J. & Witte, S. (2013). Writing to learn and learning to write during the school science laboratory: Helping middle and high school students develop argumentative writing skills as they learn core ideas. Science Education, 97(5), 643–670.
Sampson, V. & Walker, J. (2012). Argument-Driven Inquiry as a way to help undergraduate students write to learn by learning to write in chemistry. International Journal of Science Education, 34(10), 1443–1485.
Granger, E., Bevis, T., Saka, Y., Southerland, S., Sampson, V. & Tate, R. (2012). The efficacy of student-centered instruction in supporting science learning. Science, 338(105), 105–108.
Sampson, V. (2012). Science teachers and scientific argumentation: Trends in views and practice. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 49(9), 1122–1148.
Sampson, V. & Clark, D. (2011). A comparison of the collaborative scientific argumentation practices in two high and two low performing groups. Research in Science education, 41(1), 63–97.
Sampson, V., Grooms, J. & Walker, J. (2011). Argument-Driven Inquiry as a way to help students learn how to participate in scientific argumentation and craft written arguments: An exploratory study. Science Education, 95(2), 217–257.
Blanchard, M., Southerland, S., Osborne, J., Sampson, V., Annetta, L. & Granger, E. (2010). Is inquiry possible in light of accountability? A quantitative comparison of the relative effectiveness of guided inquiry and traditional verification laboratory instruction. Science Education, 94(4), 577–616.
Sampson, V. & Clark, D. (2009). The impact of collaboration on the outcomes of scientific argumentation. Science Education, 93(3), 448–484.
Sampson, V. & Clark, D. (2008). Assessment of the ways students generate arguments in science education: Current perspectives and recommendations for future directions. Science Education, 92(3), 447–472.
Clark, D. & Sampson, V. (2008). Assessing dialogic argumentation in online environments to relate structure, grounds, and conceptual quality. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 45(3), 293–321.
Elizabeth Massey Chair in Education Fellowship, The University of Texas at Austin (2016 - 2017)
Elizabeth Glenadine Gibb Teaching Fellowship, The University of Texas at Austin (2015 - 2016)
Elizabeth Glenadine Gibb Teaching Fellowship, The University of Texas at Austin (2014 - 2015)
The NARST Early Career Research Award, National Association for Research in Science Teaching (2012)
The College of Education Faculty Research Award, Florida State University (2012)
The NARST Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Research Award, National Association for Research in Science Teaching (2008)
