Development of Scientific Thinking: The Role of Parent Practices, Language, Cognition, Math and Reading Skills

• In Event: Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

While STEM job growth is outpacing job growth in all other fields, linguistically diverse minorities are underrepresented in the U.S. STEM workforce (Pew Research Center, 2018). More attention needs to be paid to early STEM achievement as opportunity gaps can lead to achievement disparities in kindergarten (Morgan et al., 2016). Added to the severity of this issue, early school years STEM achievement research is sparse. Little is known about malleable variables associated with language minorities’ kindergarten science achievement or their growth in science across elementary school. Taking a strengths based approach, we draw from the bioecological model of human development (Bronfenbrenner et al., 2006, Bronfenbrenner, 2005) and its recent cultural adaptation (Velez-Agosto et al., 2017) to better understand the development of scientific knowledge, which is hypothesized as resulting from interactions between the child and their environment (Bronfenbrenner, 2005). We incorporate the student’s context in our analyses, bringing the role of culture from the macrosystem to the forefront of development (Velez-Agosto et al., 2017).

The present study analyzed six waves of data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten class of 2011. Children’s science achievement was measured annually in the spring of kindergarten through the spring of fifth grade. Our multigroup analyses included children from homes in which a language other than English is spoken (i.e., dual language learners, DLLs) and their monolingual English speaking peers. We fit a series of latent growth curve models (LGCMs) to understand DLLs and monolinguals levels of science achievement and growth (for results, see Table 1 and Figure 1 for our final model). Finally, the unique contributions of parent reported science and math practices in kindergarten, and direct assessment of kindergarten executive functioning and linguistic, math, and reading skills were examined as they relate to initial kindergarten science achievement and growth.

Monolinguals evidenced higher levels of kindergarten science achievement than DLLs (t = 25.78, p < .0001; Hedges g = 0.55); however, both groups developed scientific knowledge at the same rate across elementary school (t = 1.83, p = .08; Hedges g = 0.04). With one exception, the same set of kindergarten variables predicted kindergarten science achievement in both groups and accounted for 65% and 60% of the variance in kindergarten science for DLLs and monolinguals, respectively. Additionally, language proficiency and reading achievement significantly predicted linear growth in each group, and reading achievement significantly predicted quadratic growth. However, the set of six variables accounted for 20% and 8% of the variance in growth factors for DLLs and monolinguals.

The results suggest that increased parent engagement in science activities, concurrently with increased cognitive, linguistic, and academic skills within students, supports kindergarten science achievement for all students. In particular, increased language and reading achievement may make it easier for students to acquire scientific knowledge (Morgan et al., 2016). However, the set of predictors in this study only accounted for a small portion of the variance in students' science growth, indicating that additional variables should be considered in future studies.

Authors

• Matthew E Foster, University of South Florida
  Presenting Author

• Jacqueline M Caemmerer, University of Connecticut
  Non-Presenting Author

• Briana Hennessy, University of Connecticut
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joshua Sussman, University of California - Berkeley
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sara A Smith, University of South Florida
  Non-Presenting Author