Examining the effects of a reformed junior high school science class on students' math achievement

School Science and Mathematics, Dec 2000 by Judson, Eugene, Sawada, Diayo

Though national standards emphasize the importance of connections between math and science, few empirical studies exist to support the notion that student achievement increases from such integration. This paper examines an eighth-grade science class that integrated mathematics into science through the use oftechnology. In a setting ofaction research, the effects ofsuch integration were examined This paper reports that integrating mathematics into the science class positively affected students' achievement in their math class and describes the circumstances under which the integration occurred

Supported strongly by both math and science standards is the idea of integrating math and science concepts (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1993; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 1989; National Research Council, 1996). Yet despite these endorsements, there remains a need for investigating the process and products of integrated science and mathematics in classrooms (Westbrook, 1998). Literature addresses the nomenclature of integration (Huntley, 1998; Lederman & Niess, 1997). The prevalent use of a multiplicity of terms for integration, such as interdisciplinary, thematic, nested, teamed, and multidisciplinary, indicates the lack of coherence regarding what is meant by science and math integration. More than three decades ago, the Cambridge Conference defined five categories describing various interactions of science and mathematics (Education Development Center, 1969). These five categories can be considered a continuum, with the ends of the continuum representing the separate disciplines, and the middle of the continuum representing science and math fusing so neither discipline is distinguishable from the other.

Of particular interest to the present research is the effect science and math integration has at the middle school level, where specialized teaching of the subjects begins to be the mode (House, 1990; Huntley, 1998). Through upper elementary grades, students ordinarily have teachers who provide instruction for both science and math. This dual role of elementary teachers lends itself well to allowing students to interrelate the concepts from both disciplines. However, at the middle school level, the physical separation of science and mathematics instruction and frequent lack of communication between science and math teachers may lead to fragmentation of concepts in students' minds. On the other hand, if integration were a priority, students would not be required to attend separate math or science classes but rather would enroll in a doubly long integrated course. Barriers to such integration exist not just at the middle school level but at all higher levels of learning. These deterrents include the strict scope and sequence of mathematics and the lack of teachers who are skilled in both curricula (Mason, 1996; Watanabe & Huntley, 1998).

A more modest approach to integration is to continue with separate classes but to integrate mathematics into the science course and/or science into the math course. Although this approach may be considered interdisciplinary (as opposed to integrated), if a visitor to such a classroom were unable to distinguish at first glance whether a science or math class were being observed, then a high level of integration would have been achieved. This modest approach to integration was examined in the action research study reported here. The guiding question was as follows: If junior high mathematics is integrated into a junior high science class, will student performance in mathematics, as indicted by a conventional achievement test, be enhanced?

This article focuses on this question by closely examining an action-research integration project that occurred in a junior high school.

Background

The Arizona Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (ACEPT) is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project aimed at developing the skills of science and math teachers. ACEPT promotes inquiry teaching and the interconnectedness of science and math. ACEPT has reformed science and math courses for preservice teachers at both the community college and university level. In its 5-year history, ACEPT has reached out to college faculty and seasoned K-12 teachers primarily through summer workshops. "Mr. J.," a junior high school science teacher, attended the 1997 ACEPT Physics-Math Summer Workshop. At this workshop, Mr. J. deepened his understanding of inquiry learning and gained practical hands-on experiences integrating science and technology. At that time and until June 1999, he was a science teacher at Avalon Junior High School (pseudonym) a school in the greater Phoenix area. Although he did not think of himself as an educational researcher, he considered himself to be an inquiry-oriented teacher. Accordingly, the study reported here did not originate as a formal research project. It was simply the inquisitive behavior of an inquiry-oriented teacher seeking to improve his practice. In retrospect, it became possible to retrieve data germane to the question raised in this report.