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

该项目被提交给发现研究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，显著提高K-12学前班学生和教师的科学、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努力的基础上，这些研究和开发工作为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验证明。该项目是为了应对美国多样化和快速变化的学生人口结构带来的社会挑战，包括英语学习者(Ells)的崛起，这是学生人数增长最快的群体(例如，见《教育周刊》，2015年2月1日《美国学校入学人数达到多数-少数族裔里程碑》)。英语学习人数呈指数级增长：2011年，全国有五分之一(21%)的学生在家说英语以外的语言。该项目的主要目的是为包括Ells在内的所有学生开发为期一年的五年级课程的教学材料。计划中的课程将促进以语言为重点的三维科学学习(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(国家研究理事会，2012年)、下一代科学标准(ACELE，2013年)和科学课堂语言使用概念框架(李、奎因和瓦尔德·S，2013年)保持一致。年级级的科学内容将针对主题，如有机体和生态系统中物质、物质和能量的结构和性质，以及地球和空间系统，每个主题中都嵌入了工程设计。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(听和读)和产出性(说和写)语言功能。这个项目的产品和研究成果将有助于缩小ELL和非ELL之间的科学成绩差距，并使所有学生在随后的年级水平上达到更高的熟练程度。课程在1-3年级制定和实地测试后，将在4年级进行一项先导研究，以探讨其有效性承诺。使用随机对照实验设计，本研究将解决三个研究问题：(1)干预对所有学生的科学学习和语言发展有什么影响？(2)干预对教师的教学实践有什么影响？(3)教师在多大程度上能够忠实地执行教学材料？为了解决研究问题1，一系列多水平模型(MLM)，其中每个学生测量的后测分数(州/地区科学测试分数，以及研究人员开发的评估上的科学分数和语言分数)将根据代表条件(治疗或控制)和前测协变量的虚拟变量进行回归。为了检验干预措施是否对英语水平不同的学生有益，我们将使用相同的MLMS进行分组分析，比较治疗组中的英语学习者和对照组中的英语学习者；治疗组中以前的英语学习者和对照组中以前的英语学习者；以及治疗组中的非英语学习者和控制组中的非英语学习者。探索性分析将被用来检验英语水平在多大程度上缓和了干预对英语学习的影响。为了解决研究问题2，将采用两级模式(教师为一级，学校为二级)，将问卷后的量表分数回归到代表条件(治疗或控制)的虚拟变量上。为了解决研究问题3，计划从课堂观察中分析对覆盖率、忠诚度和教学质量的评级，以及从实施和反馈表中对计划差异化和参与者响应性的评级。

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 gap 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.