Collaborative Research: Development of Language-Focused Three-Dimensional Science Instructional Materials to Support English Language Learners in Fifth Grade

合作研究：开发以语言为中心的三维科学教学材料以支持五年级英语学习者

• 批准号: 1502507
• 负责人: Guadalupe Valdes
• 金额: $ 130.6万
• 依托单位: Stanford University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2020-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1502507&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Development; Language; Focused

This project was submitted to the Discovery Research K-12 (DRK-12) program that seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models, and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. The project is responsive to the societal challenges emerging from the nation's diverse and rapidly changing student demographics, including the rise of English language learners (ELLs), the fastest growing student population (see, for example, "U.S. school enrollment hits majority-minority milestone", Education Week, February 1, 2015). ELLs have grown exponentially: 1 in 5 students (21%) in the nation spoke a language other than English at home in 2011. The project's main purpose is to develop instructional materials for a year-long, fifth grade curriculum for all students, including ELLs. The planned curriculum will promote language-focused and three-dimensional science learning (through blending of science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas), aligned with the Framework for K-12 Science Education (National Research Council, 2012), the Next Generation Science Standards (Achieve, 2013), and the Conceptual Framework for Language use in the Science Classroom (Lee, Quinn & Valdés, 2013). The grade-level science content will target topics, such as structure and properties of matter, matter and energy in organisms and ecosystems, and Earth's and space systems, with engineering design embedded in each topic. The language approach will emphasize analytical science tasks aimed at making sense of and constructing scientific knowledge; and receptive (listening and reading) and productive (speaking and writing) language functions. Products and research results from this project will help to reduce the science achievement gaps between ELLs and non-ELLs, and enable all students to attain higher levels of proficiency in subsequent grade levels.After the curriculum has been developed and field-tested during Years 1-3, a pilot study will be conducted in Year 4 to investigate promise of effectiveness. Using a randomized controlled trial design, the pilot study will address three research questions: (1) What is the impact of the intervention on science learning and language development for all students, including ELLs and former ELLs?; (2) What is the impact of the intervention on teachers' instructional practices?; and (3) To what extent are teachers able to implement the instructional materials with fidelity? To address research question 1, a sequence of multi-level models (MLMs) in which the posttest score for each student measure (the state/district science test score, and the science score and the language score on the researcher-developed assessment) will be regressed on a dummy variable representing condition (treatment or control) and pretest covariates. To examine whether the intervention is beneficial for students of varying levels of English proficiency, subgroup analyses will be conducted comparing ELLs in the treatment group against ELLs in the control group; former ELLs in the treatment group against former ELLs in the control group; and non-ELLs in the treatment group against non-ELLs in the control group, using the same MLMs. Exploratory analyses will be employed to examine the extent to which the level of English proficiency moderates the impact of the intervention on ELLs. To address research question 2, a 2-level model (teachers as level-1, and schools as level-2) in which the post-questionnaire scale score will be regressed on a dummy variable representing condition (treatment or control) will be conducted. To address research question 3, plans are to analyze ratings on coverage, adherence, and quality of instruction from classroom observations, along with ratings on program differentiation and participant responsiveness from the implementation and feedback form.

该项目已提交给Discovery Research K-12（DRK-12）计划，该计划旨在通过研究和开发创新资源，模型和工具，显着提高PreK-12学生和教师对科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，这些研究和开发工作为拟议项目提供了理论和经验依据。该项目是响应从国家的多样化和快速变化的学生人口，包括英语学习者（ELLs）的崛起，学生人口增长最快的社会挑战（见，例如，“美国学校招生达到多数少数民族的里程碑”，教育周，2015年2月1日）。ELLs呈指数级增长：2011年，全国五分之一（21%）的学生在家里说英语以外的语言。该项目的主要目的是为所有学生（包括ELL学生）制定为期一年的五年级课程教材。计划中的课程将促进以语言为重点和立体的科学学习（通过融合科学和工程实践、交叉概念和学科核心思想），与K-12科学教育框架保持一致（国家研究理事会，2012），下一代科学标准（Achieve，2013）和科学课堂语言使用的概念框架（Lee，Quinn& Valdés，2013）。年级科学内容将针对主题，如物质的结构和性质，生物体和生态系统中的物质和能量，以及地球和空间系统，每个主题中都包含工程设计。语言方法将强调旨在理解和构建科学知识的分析科学任务;以及接受性（听力和阅读）和生产性（口语和写作）语言功能。这项计划的成果和研究成果，将有助缩短以英语为母语的学生与非以英语为母语的学生在科学方面的成绩差距，并使所有学生在随后的年级都能达到更高的水平。在课程发展及于一至三年级进行实地测试后，将于四年级进行试验研究，以探讨成效。这项先导性研究采用随机对照试验设计，将解决三个研究问题：（1）干预措施对所有学生（包括英语学习者和前英语学习者）的科学学习和语言发展有何影响？(2)干预对教师的教学实践有何影响？（3）教师能在多大程度上忠实地执行教材？为了解决研究问题1，一系列多层次模型（MLMs），其中每个学生测量的后测分数（州/地区科学考试分数，以及研究人员开发的评估的科学分数和语言分数）将回归到代表条件（治疗或对照）的虚拟变量和预测协变量。为研究有关措施是否对不同英语水平的学生有帮助，我们会进行分组分析，以同一个母语学习模式比较治疗组与对照组的英语学习者、治疗组与对照组的前英语学习者，以及治疗组与对照组的非英语学习者。本研究将采用探索性分析来检验英语水平在多大程度上缓和了干预对英语学习者的影响。为了解决研究问题2，将进行2级模型（教师为1级，学校为2级），其中问卷调查后量表评分将回归代表条件（治疗或对照）的虚拟变量。为了解决研究问题3，计划分析覆盖率，坚持，并从课堂观察教学质量的评级，沿着的评级方案的差异和参与者的反应，从实施和反馈形式。