An investigation on the integration of science and literacy for English language learners

2014-09-10The recent adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards and the Common Core State Standards called for changes to science education in the United States. The new standards emphasize an integrated approach to teaching science concepts and habits of mind through inquiry and literacy teaching practices. These habits of mind are necessary to meet the demands of college level science courses. However, data from international assessments of science achievement indicate that U.S. students underperform in science and the achievement of English Language Learners (ELLs) is significantly less than their native English speaking peers. This study aimed to identify current teacher perceptions and practices on the integration of science content and literacy in their curriculum in light of the new standards. Furthermore, a goal of this study was to identify promising practices for educating ELLs in secondary science classes. Qualitative methods were used for data collection. Three semi‐structured interviews and three classroom observations were conducted with four secondary biology and/or anatomy‐physiology teachers at two charter high schools located within a large urban city in southern California. Both school sites contained significant populations of ELL students. Constant comparative methods were used for data analysis. The findings for this study were that teachers viewed literacy as an important tool to teach scientific concepts. Teachers were able to integrate literacy through close reading and academic discussion. Furthermore, ELLs were supported through the instructional scaffolds in vocabulary instruction and peer‐based learning activities. An additional finding was that inquiry was viewed as an important tool for teaching science; however the teachers enacted more literacy‐based pedagogy over inquiry‐based. This suggested that the focus on infusing more literacy into the curriculum has taken precedence over implementing inquiry‐based instruction. An implication of this study was that science educators need more knowledge on how to effectively blend the new sets of standards. An additional implication was that science teachers need to explore instructional models on how to successfully integrate inquiry and literacy in their pedagogy. Promising practices for ELLs were also identified