Using Visualizations to Create Equitable Opportunities for Linguistically Diverse Students to Engage in Science Practices

• In Event: Equity and Diversity in Science Learning and Teaching

Abstract

This study explores how interactive visualizations can improve linguistically diverse students’ understanding of energy and matter in chemistry through discourse-rich science practices. 141 8th-grade English learners (ELs) and non-ELs used interactive simulations and modeling tools to explore unobservable chemical phenomena while completing two NGSS-aligned, inquiry units for two weeks. The results revealed that using visualizations was significantly effective in fostering ELs’ and non-ELs’ understanding of the target concepts. Detailed analyses of 12 video cases suggest that visualizations helped create multiple opportunities for ELs and non-ELs to engage in scientific discourse through disciplinary practices. This study provides evidence that interactive visualizations have promise for providing equitable access to rigorous learning for all students including ELs who are underserved in mainstream classrooms.

Authors

• Kristin Bedell, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Kihyun "Kelly" Ryoo, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Amanda Swearingen, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill