Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2015 The Relationship between Science Curriculum Aligned to Common Core State Standards and Scientific Literacy Amber Lee Struthers Walden University Follow this and additional works at:https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of theEducational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please [email protected]. Walden University College of Education This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Amber Struthers has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Wade Smith, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Deanna Boddie, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Jose Cossa, University Reviewer, Education Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2015 Abstract The Relationship between Science Curriculum Aligned to Common Core State Standards and Scientific Literacy by Amber Struthers MS, Biology, University of Arizona, 2011 MEd, Elementary Education, Arizona State University, 2009 BS, Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 2005 BEd, Secondary Education, Arizona State University, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education Walden University October 2015 Abstract Supporting the development of scientifically literate students is a priority in public school education, and understanding how that development is influenced by the Common Core State Standards is vital to quality science education. However, little quantitative research has been conducted about how the Common Core State Standards impact science education. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine how the alignment of science curriculum and instruction to the Common Core English Language Arts State Standards impacts the development of students’ scientific literacy skills. Bybee’s framework for scientific literacy provided the theoretical framework. Participants included 7 middle school students in Grades 5-8 in a rural community located in the western region of the United States. The summer school science intervention teacher integrated Common Core English Language Arts Standards into a biological science curriculum developed by Marsh. Scientific literacy was determined by student results on released items from the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Results from assessments in this study indicated an improvement of 5.5% when comparing pre to posttest scores in scientific literacy, though not statistically significant when analyzed using ANOVA. Recommendations include a need to increase research in rural education about scientific literacy for K-12 students, and about the impact of Common Core State Standards on science instruction. This study contributes to positive social change by providing educators and researchers with a deeper understanding of how to improve science literacy for all students. The Relationship between Science Curriculum Aligned to Common Core State Standards and Scientific Literacy by Amber Struthers MS, Biology, University of Arizona, 2011 MEd, Elementary Education, Arizona State University, 2009 BS, Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 2005 BEd, Secondary Education, Arizona State University, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education Walden University October 2015 Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Background 4 Statement of Problem 6 Purpose of Study 7 Research Questions and Hypotheses 8 Theoretical Framework 9 Nature of the Study ……..10 Definition of Terms 12 Assumptions 13 Scope and Delimitations 14 Limitations 15 Significance 16 Impact on Social Change 16 Summary 17 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................19 Literature Search Strategy 21 Theoretical Framework for Scientific Literacy 21 Rural Education 27 Common Core State Standards 30 i Common Core English and Language Arts State Standards 35 Reading Standards 35 Writing Standards 37 Speaking and Listening Standards 37 Common Core State Standards and Science Instruction 38 Goals for Science Education 39 Scientific Literacy 43 Definitions of Scientific Literacy 43 History of Scientific Literacy 45 Need for Scientific Literacy 46 Goals for Achieving Scientific Literacy 48 Development of Scientific Literacy 50 Assessment of Scientific Literacy 53 Literacy Skills and Scientific Literacy 53 Develop Scientific Literacy through Language Skills 55 Integrating Literacy Skills into Science Instruction 56 Disciplinary Literacy and Instruction 58 Literacy Instruction and the Middle School Students 59 Scientific Language and Science Instruction 63 Vocabulary and Science Instruction 67 Writing Skills and Science Instruction 69 Reading Comprehension Strategies and Science Instruction 73 ii Literacy Interventions and Science Instruction 83 Evaluation of Reading and Science Instruction 85 Challenges Integrating Literacy Skills into Science Instruction 86 Summary and Conclusions 87 Chapter 3: Research Methods ............................................................................................92 Research Design and Rationale 92 Setting 96 Target Population 97 Sampling Plan and Sampling Procedure 97 Procedures for Recruitment, Participation, and Data Collection 98 Instrumentation 99 Data Analysis Plan 102 Threats to Validity 103 Summary 104 Chapter 4: Results ............................................................................................................106 Data Collection 107 Treatment 108 Data Analysis 110 Analysis of Variance 114 ANOVA Results 114 Summary 117 Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations ..........................................120 iii Interpretation of the Findings 121 Analysis of Findings with Regards to Literature 122 Analysis of Findings with Regards to Theoretical Framework 124 Confound Variables 125 Limitations of the Study 126 Recommendations 128 Implication for Social Change 129 Conclusion 131 References ........................................................................................................................132 Appendices .......................................................................................................................148 Appendix: Data Use Agreement Form 148 iv List of Tables Table 1. Descriptive Statistics for Scientific Literacy .................................................... 111 Table 2. Test of Normality .............................................................................................. 112 Table 3. Descriptive statistics for Scientific Literacy including Original Subjects ........ 113 Table 4. ANOVA of Research Questions ....................................................................... 115 - 7 v