Poster #15 - The Effect of a Student-Teacher-Scientist Partnership on High School Students' Science Achievement

• In Event: 51.082 - MTCC Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: 51.082-2 - Science Teaching and Learning SIG Poster Session

Abstract

This study reports the effect of a scientist mentor program on student achievement in biology. This program integrates scientist mentorship with constructivist-oriented instructional materials. The study design was a cluster randomized trial with random assignment of teachers to treatment conditions. The analytic sample included 64 teachers (27 treatment, 37 comparison) and 1535 students (514 treatment, 1021 comparison). Comparison teachers used extant instructional materials to teach the same biology learning objectives as treatment teachers. Comparison students received no mentoring from scientists. The effect of the program on student achievement in biology was positive and statistically significant (p =.02) with an effect size of 0.28 standard deviations.

Authors

• Joseph Taylor, UCCS

• Catrina Adams, Botanical Society of America