Global Literacy: Integrating Social Studies and Literacy in an Urban, STEM Middle School

• In Event: 66.024 - Exploring Interdisciplinary Possibilities With Literacy Linkages in Urban STEM Schools

Abstract

Purpose: This study explores challenges and affordances of a global literacy design to integrate social studies and literacy in a high-needs, STEM middle school, as means for maximizing students’ learning opportunities and developing teachers’ pedagogical knowledge for integrating content areas.

Perspectives: This study is informed by various policy and research perspectives. Concern over America’s competitiveness in the world has given rise to a recent push for more math and science in schools (e.g., National Governors Association, 2007; Obama, 2013). An outgrowth of this has been exploration of possibilities for STEM integration, the benefits of which include increased student interest, motivation, and understanding, but which may be limited by teachers’ content knowledge and their ability and confidence to teach across disciplines (National Academy of Engineering & National Research Council, 2014). The Common Core State Standards (2010) also calls for content-area integration. Partnering literacy and social studies could develop pedagogical knowledge for integration and add instructional cohesion in an urban school, where fragmented instruction and a lack of coherence can be problems (Ahram, Stembridge, Fergus, & Noguera, 2011).

Methods: This is a mixed method study investigating how two instructional teams of teachers designed and implemented a new Global Literacy curriculum. This study was conducted at an urban middle school, involved in a turnaround effort and situated in a major mid-south city (74.5% African American; 96.1% Free and reduced lunch).

Descriptive statistics are being employed to examine student achievement, as well as students’ views of their learning experiences. Qualitative methods also were employed to analyze the data to gain an in-depth and nuanced understanding of how the interactive elements of this model—such as teacher/student views and collaboration—shape and are shaped by the learning environment. The latter involved an inductive and deductive process to develop codes, categories, and themes across data sources (Strauss & Corbin, 1990).

Data Sources: Data sources included observations of team meetings and instructional time throughout the year and collection of relevant artifacts (e.g., lesson plans and team emails). Semi-structured interviews with teachers, teacher candidates, and administrators (n=26) were conducted and transcribed. Also, student perspectives were gleaned through focus groups (2) at each grade level and TRIPOD surveys.

Results: Analyses reveal that teaming, leadership, domain and pedagogical confidence, access to resources, and teacher commitment played critical roles in determining integration success. Obstacles to effective implementation in grades 5-6 and 7-8 included teaming issues; lack of experience, knowledge, or self-confidence; difficulties with classroom management, and the late arrival of anticipated resources. Affordances included teachers’ and administration’s commitment to the students, the students’ eagerness to learn, and the subject area expertise of certain individuals.

Significance: It is critical to identify what works and what does not in developing teachers’ pedagogical skills for effectively integrating content in STEM schools, particularly in high-needs schools, where teacher experience may be limited and high numbers of students have often experienced years of failure or poor performance, leading to behavior and motivation issues as well. This study begins to address the issue.

Authors

• Kathy Ganske, Vanderbilt University

• Emily Pendergrass, Vanderbilt University

• Blaine Elizabeth Smith, University of Miami