Longitudinal Teacher Instruction Trajectories and Elementary Student Science Learning and Social Emotional Learning

• In Event: How Can Elementary Science Curriculum Support Student Learning, Teacher Practices, and Inclusiveness in Classrooms?

Abstract

Objectives
The new vision of science education emphasizes developing students’ usable knowledge (NRC, 2012; NGSS Lead States, 2013). Appropriate social and emotional learning (SEL) supports can promote students’ science learning (CASEL, 2013). Teachers are the linchpin to reaching this new vision (NRC, 2012), and they need richer images of NGSS-aligned science instruction (Reiser, 2013). This study dives into different trajectories of teachers’ instructional supports to explore: 1) Are there multiple patterns of how teacher instructional supports change over three consecutive NGSS-aligned curriculum units? 2) Do differential instructional support trajectories predict student knowledge-in-use performance and SEL?

Theoretical Framework
Building upon active construction, situated learning, social interactions, and cognitive tools (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000), ESES brings together three-dimensional (3D) learning and project-based learning to support student sustainable knowledge-in-use development (Authors, 2019). Teacher instructional supports play a vital role in supporting student engagement in science (Fredricks et al., 2014).

Methods and Data Sources
Data were collected as part of an ongoing study in a Midwestern state. The analysis sample consists of eleven Grade 3 teachers and their students from four regions of the state. Measures include teacher instructional supports, student knowledge-in-use performance, and SEL.
A classroom observation protocol was designed to examine teachers’ instructional supports for students’ sensemaking and equitable learning. The observations were coded by multiple observers on a 4-point scale: 1 (low) to 4 (high). Table 1 shows one sample item. Inter-rater reliabilities were checked for the agreement of observations. Students’ knowledge-in-use was measured by their performances on post-unit assessments and end-of-year science achievement test. Each unit assessment consists of seven to thirteen items aligned with corresponding NGSS performance expectations. Rubrics were designed to measure students’ level of knowledge-in-use objectively and reliably through a 4-point scale. The end-of-year science achievement test items were developed by the State’s Department of Education. Students’ SEL was measured by a twenty-item SEL survey with a 3-point Likert scale. Three constructs, self-reflection, ownership, and collaboration were identified through CFA (Authors, 2022).

For RQ1, latent growth modeling approach will be used to select a baseline model for growth-mixture modeling (GMM; Masyn, 2013). GMM will identify classes of teachers based on observed heterogeneity in patterns of change (Nylund, Asparouhov, & Muthén, 2007). For RQ2, after the GMM is specified, each case is assigned to the most likely class based on probabilities of latent class membership. The class membership is then used as a categorical variable that can be modeled as a predictor or an outcome.

Results
Preliminary results show that we have adequate data to respond to our research questions. Table 2 and Table 3 show the descriptive statistics of teacher observation, student post-unit assessment, and summative test respectively. Given more data are still coming in, the full paper will present the results of both research questions.

Significance
Through tracking long-term teacher instructional supports, this work will inform practitioners and researchers about what NGSS-aligned 3D learning classes might look like and how to support students’ 3D learning and SEL for their knowledge-in-use development.

Authors

• Tingting Li, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author

• I-Chien Chen, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kayla Bartz, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author