Improving Reading in a Middle School Science Classroom

Abstract

Middle school science teachers report using textbooks regularly although these textbooks have been criticized for not following standards‐based principles for concept learning, and student reading achievement has been stagnant for 20 years. Effective strategic reading instruction has been documented for middle school students but few teachers use these strategies. To address these issues, a quasi‐experimental research study compared middle school students (n = 23) who learned a strategic reading strategy (PLAN) for science textbooks to students (n = 27) who read silently following an audiotaped reading of the text. The strategic reading group significantly outperformed the silent reading group on a comprehension test of scientific concepts (p <. 001) and strategy use (p < .01). The teacher reported that her students gained self‐confidence in reading and found reading to be more enjoyable. This research uses a more rigorous design than prior studies of the PLAN strategy but supports previous findings and adds to an understanding of how to implement PLAN.

Investigating Consistency of Questions in Primary and Middle School Science Textbooks with Objectives in Science Curriculum

“…However, that the increase in quality of questions is not at the same rate is seen as a significant deficiency. In addition to the quantity, the increase in the quality of the questions will crucially contribute to curricula to achieve their goals since textbooks are one of the most preferred tools in lessons by teachers (Radcliffe et al, 2008). This requires that both textbook authors and experts should to be more careful and attentive.…”

“…Since textbooks are used by the vast majority of teachers in science (Radcliffe, Caverly, Hand and Franke, 2008), the quality and quantity of questions in this main source is very important. Especially, to what extent "supplementary measurement tools" emphasized in the science curriculum (MNE, 2013) are given place in textbooks and determining what are the skill levels of the students the questions are designed to measure may be one of the criteria of whether the purpose of the curriculum comes true as required.…”

Linking Reading and Science: Focusing on a Broader Base of Understanding

“…Regrettably, in many science classrooms, the science textbooks (Radcliffe, Caverly, Hand, & Franke, 2008;Weiss, 1993) bring their own set of problems as students struggle through poorly written books with ideas and concepts that are often impenetrable to them (Best, Rowe, Ozuru, & McNamara, 2005;Hubisz, 2000). In order to help students comprehend science concepts from such inaccessible texts, science teachers need to be proficient at teaching reading comprehension.…”

Secondary Biology Textbooks and National Standards for English Learners

“…Many teachers rely on them to provide some or all of their content and pedagogical content knowledge … especially … when the teacher is a novice or is teaching outside his or her area of expertise” (p. 522). Thus, textbooks may constitute a sort of de facto national curriculum, leading some researchers to make virtually no distinction between the terms curriculum and textbook (Radcliffe, Caverly, Peterson, & Emmons, ). It has even been suggested that the most “accessible way of documenting how teaching and learning are likely to proceed for a large population and over a large period of time” would be through “an analysis of textbooks” (Li et al., , p. 809).…”