Toward Rigorous and Equitable STEM Instruction: Designing Learning Environments for Teachers of English Learners

• In Event: 28.025 - Designing for Design: Creating Learning Environments That Support Equitable Engineering for Students in Grades 3–8

Abstract

Purpose and Theoretical Framework
In order to realize the goal of equitable participation in STEM fields, schools must implement better instructional approaches with English learners. Engineering-centered instruction is one such promising approach: It provides linguistically diverse students with opportunities to apply mathematics and science to personally meaningful and important problems, while simultaneously valuing and mobilizing their bilingualism and funds of knowledge (Authors, 2018). Despite the promise of design-centered STEM instruction for English learners, many middle grade teachers (defined as those who teach grades 4-8) may not feel prepared to teach engineering (Hynes, 2010). To address this problem, this study sought to answer the question: What features of teachers’ learning environments support or hinder their use of language and literacy supports in the context of engineering design instruction?

Methods and Data Sources
To answer this question, we collected data from eight teachers who, collectively, taught in middle and elementary schools; in science and technical education classes; and in urban, suburban, and semi-rural schools. Despite these differences, all teachers shared one commonality: They taught a greater than average percentage of English learners as compared to their peers throughout the state. Each teacher participated in intensive professional development (a minimum of 10 hours spread throughout the school year) on incorporating literacy-based supports in the context of engineering design instruction.

In accordance with principles of DBR (e.g., Reinking & Bradley, 2008), the research team worked with the teachers to develop literacy-infused engineering design instruction, and together they iteratively re-designed instructional approaches and materials based on analyses of data. We conducted classroom observations as teachers engaged in literacy-infused engineering design instruction; we also interviewed each teacher a minimum of four times. We then used constant comparative analytic methods to map teachers’ classroom practices onto themes from teacher interviews.

Results
The analysis indicated three major findings. First, across contexts, teachers engaged in literacy-infused engineering design instruction when they perceived they had a large degree of autonomy. Even in schools where principals identified literacy in every subject as a high priority, and even when the teachers had extensive PD on literacy instruction or English learners, they did not tend to provide literacy-infused engineering design instruction if they felt they had to closely follow district pacing guides or state-provided materials. Second, teachers were more likely to engage in literacy-infused engineering design when the research team provided textual materials (description of the problem to be solved) under their direction, versus when they had to create these materials from scratch, which they did not think they had time to do. Third, teachers were more likely to engage in literacy-infused design instruction when they felt their education provided them with knowledge of relevant science.

Significance
This exploratory study highlighted factors of environments that supported middle school teachers across different contexts in providing literacy-infused engineering design instruction. The findings from this study can be used to create environments that better prepare teachers who can in turn support English learners engage in rigorous yet accessible engineering tasks.

Authors

• Amy Wilson-Lopez, Utah State University

• Victor Larsen, Utah State University

• Ashley Strong, Roy High School