Science Education and Diversity

Science Learning, Teaching, and Curricula

International, national, and state science achievement scores indicate that the quality of K–12 science student learning varies. In the United States, suburban, middle-class K–12 Asian and European American students perform better on standardized tests than do any other group of students. These test scores are used as an indicator of the quality of student science learning. Rural and urban students, along with students with disabilities, struggle to access quality science education. Even though differentiated teaching is encouraged in many school systems, the practices of “grouping by ability” and tracking continue to occur in U.S. schools. These practices give students different access to school resources such as certified teachers with advanced science degrees, updated science textbooks and other curricular materials, modern science laboratory equipment and materials, and opportunities to participate in other science enrichment programs such as summer science programs, after-school science programs, and field trips to museums and zoos.

Most students living in high-poverty areas are grouped by “ability” and tracked into low-level classes where science education achievement is very limited. These students include Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and European Americans. In other words, no ethnic group is excluded from a poor science learning experience. Instructional quality usually depends on school location. Urban and rural students of all ethnic groups have more limited opportunities for quality science learning than students in suburban schools have. However, African American, Latino, and Native American students are much more likely to be tracked into low-level science courses regardless of the location of the school and social class.

The opportunities for female students of all ethnic backgrounds to learn quality science vary because of teacher expectations, classroom interactions, instruction, and experienced curricula. However, some studies have found no gender differences in science grades and test scores.

The native language of students influences their opportunities for quality science learning because it (a) structures both K–14 students' and teachers' (preservice and inservice) science learning and (b) determines how they use the language to comprehend and communicate their understandings about natural phenomena. Home language, instructional language, and science language problematize science learning because students must [Page 1908]learn to transition among the languages of family, school, and science. Students who are not proficient in English are often restricted in their science learning and performance when instruction, assessment, and evaluation are carried out exclusively or predominantly in English. Language barriers related to differences in native language, as well as limited vocabulary, can cause many students to perform poorly on standardized examinations and classroom measures. Research suggests that science learning and student performance can be improved through the increased use of native languages, dialects, hip hop language, and visual representations such as pictures, illustrations, animations, graphs, tables, charts, and equations.

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