Science for Young Children: Linking Teacher Professional Development and Family Engagement to Improve Student Achievement

• In Event: 2-075 - Engaging Young Learners in Science Both in and out of School

Integrative Statement

Introduction. It has been well documented that elementary teachers lack the content knowledge and, subsequently, the confidence to teach science effectively to their students (e.g., Crawford, 2000; Greenfield et al., 2009). ECE teachers are rarely exposed to STEM instructional practice during their teacher preparation programs (Lobman et al., 2005), and typically do not receive professional development (PD) in science teaching (e.g., Barnett et al., 2009).
Parental involvement is a primary contributor to children’s academic success (e.g., Barnard, 2004; Castro et al., 2004; Sukhram & Hsu, 2012). Not only does family interest in science accelerate children’s initial interest in science (Dabney & Tai, 2013), but it can significantly increase academic skills in other domains such as early literacy (e.g., Bennett et al., 2002). Despite many findings supporting parental involvement, few families emphasize science with their children (Calabrese et al., 2004).
Research indicates that children enter kindergarten with lower science readiness scores than in other academic subject areas, and that early science learning is predictive of science learning in 8th grade and beyond (Allen & Kelly, 2015). Children with gaps in science knowledge starting in kindergarten rarely catch up, and the result is a lifelong discrepancies that limit children’s future career choices (Morgan, 2016).
Hypothesis. This study investigates the effect of a professional development program at the PreK-3 level. The project, entitled NURTURES, included: (a) teacher PD (a two-week Summer Institute for PK-3 teachers and monthly academic year professional learning community meetings and one-on-one coaching), and (b) family engagement in scientific inquiry (family science activity take-home packs and family science events hosted after school or in the community). Our hypothesis was that teacher professional development and family engagement in science inquiry would impact children’s achievement.
Study Population. Treatment participants consisted of students from 41 elementary schools in a large urban school district in the Midwest who had had at least one NURTURES teacher during the 2013-2014, 2014-2015, or 2015-2016 academic years. Participants consisted of 2899 students for the early literacy study, 2002 students for the mathematics study, and 1810 students for the reading study. Control students consisted of 2515 students for the early literacy study, 3028 students for the mathematics study, and 2448 students for the reading study, who had never had a NURTURES teacher within the same time frame.
Methods. This study used a quasi-experimental, three-level hierarchical linear model between-group design to investigate whether the project affected student learning outcomes. Impact on students was assessed in grades K-2 (Early Literacy), grades 2-4 (Math), and grades 1-4 (Reading) using the Renaissance STAR assessments. Baseline equivalence was established by examining the fall scores for the STAR Early Literacy assessment for kindergarteners in the study.
Results. Having a NURTURES teacher in the student’s academic life prior or during 2015-16 school year was associated with net gains of 8.6 points to a student’s Early Literacy score, 17.0 points to a student’s Mathematics score, and 41.4 points to a student’s Reading score compared to students who had never had a NURTURES teacher.

Authors

• Susanna Hapgood, University of Toledo
  Presenting Author

• Charlene Czerniak, University of Toledo
  Non-Presenting Author