Reducing the Effect of Cultural and Language Barriers for Refugee Students in Science

• In Event: Roundtable Session 53
  In Roundtable Session: Refugee Students in U.S. Schools: Challenges and Possibilities

Abstract

Research into the educational needs of the thousands of refugee children arriving in the U.S. each year is scant. We, a third part evaluator of the Smithsonian project, evaluated the effects of hands-on, science instruction units on student attitudes and achievement in two refugee elementary schools in the Houston Independent School District from 2011-2014, as compared to one refugee school and two matched non-refugee schools that were not yet using the units. Students using the science units showed improvement in achievement and consistent attitudes toward science as measured by changes in science assessment scores (PASS), including improvements for English Language Learners. However, achievement and attitudes continued to lag compared to non-refugee schools.

Authors

• Christine Bertz, The University of Memphis

• Michael Peter Rowe, The University of Memphis

• Brenda McSparrin Gallagher, The University of Memphis

• Yun Tang, The University of Memphis

• Adrian Young, The University of Memphis