"What's Your Hypothesis?" Influence of Topic, Ethnicity, and Gender on Fourth Graders' Science Performance

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 8
  In Poster Session: Science Teaching and Learning: Equity and Social Justice in Science Education

Abstract

The goal of this study was to examine how 4th grade children and their parents performed on hands-on science activities and a standardized content assessment, as a function of ethnicity or gender. Performance was also examined by science topic (life/physical) and by problem-solving strategy. The study included 153 families in a metropolitan area in the southwestern U.S., approximately balanced in terms of child and parent ethnicity and gender. Performance differences were observed between non-Hispanic and Hispanic families on most activity and content assessment scores, but not on the drawing problem-solving strategy. Few gender differences were observed for children on either measure, however fathers performed better than mothers on the content assessment. Implications for parent influences on children are discussed.

Authors

• Susannah Sandrin, Arizona State University - West

• Katherine Short-Meyerson, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

• Christopher Edwards, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

• Rosa Quinones-Diaz, Arizona State University