RES: Bringing Young Girls Into Science With Books And Inquiry

University Of Delaware, Newark DE

Investigators

Abstract

This project will study the gendered nature of learning science in the elementary grades. Standards-based science instruction largely consists of students engaging in first-hand investigation of scientific phenomena. This is in contrast to traditional science instruction that relies heavily on textbooks. The justification for investigation-based instructional design has typically been that the authority for scientific belief ought to reside in the actions of children rather than the authority of text. However, this unfortunate dichotomy between investigation and text undermines the potential uses of both. Girls are typically strong readers- an attribute that ought to make them strong in science. After all, at some point they must be able to read scientific text to excel in science classes. Unfortunately, research on text preferences shows that although girls are strong readers, they prefer to read fiction rather than nonfiction. The primary objective of the project is to learn how science-related text embedded in inquiry science instruction can be used to engage girls. The first year of this three year study willbe spent in four third grade classrooms to observe how science-related texts are used. This will include documentation of text experiences created by teachers and created by girls in encounters with text supplemental to regular instruction (e.g., library visits, classroom-reading centers, books from home). This will be supplemented by classroom observations and interviews with girls, teachers, librarians and parents to collect additional data on the use of and interest in science books. The second year of the project will consist of design experiments in the classrooms during which the teachers and researchers work together to analyze classroom activities and design instruction in cycles that allow research and teaching practice to influence one another. Data from the first year will be used to better understand how girls may engage with science text and design instruction to maximize girls interest in science and learning from science inquiry instruction that includes the use of text. The research questions are as follows: 1. What role does text play in girls classroom science experiences? 2. How do teachers view the role of text in girls' learning of science? 3. What texts are present in girls' homes and how are they used? 4. What science texts do girls prefer when exposed to a large range of text genres and uses? 5. How do girls uses of text enable and/or constrain their engagement and development of scientific ideas? The final year will be spent analyzing results of the design experiment and conducting cross-year analyses, preparing research papers for submission to science and literacy education journals, and developing a web-based curriculum unit for use in teacher education programs, including our own NSF-sponsored science teacher education reform effort.