Improving critical thinking growth for disadvantaged groups within elementary school science: A randomized controlled trial using the Science Writing Heuristic approach

Brian Hand; Mack C Shelley; Marcia Laugerman; Luke Fostvedt; William Therrien

doi:10.1002/sce.21341

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Improving critical thinking growth for disadvantaged groups within elementary school science: A randomized controlled trial using the Science Writing Heuristic approach

Journal article

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Improving critical thinking growth for disadvantaged groups within elementary school science: A randomized controlled trial using the Science Writing Heuristic approach

Brian Hand, Mack C Shelley, Marcia Laugerman, Luke Fostvedt and William Therrien

Science education (Salem, Mass.), Vol.102(4), pp.693-710

07/2018

DOI: 10.1002/sce.21341

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Abstract

In a cluster‐randomized study, we investigate the impact of an argument‐based approach to teaching science in elementary school on science learning and critical thinking skills. Forty‐eight schools participated in the study, with data on 9,963 students across the 2 years of the intervention. Annual standardized tests assessing science content knowledge were used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on science using a hierarchical linear model. To assess critical thinking abilities, scores for the Cornell Critical Thinking instrument were assessed for the 2,353 students in fifth grade using a multilevel model. While no statistically significant gains were found for science content, there was statistically significant evidence that the intervention was associated with an improvement in critical thinking scores (p < .05, ES = 0.167). In particular, the strongest gains were for students in the following groups: individual education plan, free and reduced price lunch, and English language learners.

multilevel modeling

elementary science education

improvements in critical thinking

science learning

argument‐based instruction

randomized controlled trial

Details

Title: Subtitle: Improving critical thinking growth for disadvantaged groups within elementary school science: A randomized controlled trial using the Science Writing Heuristic approach
Creators: Brian Hand - University of Iowa
Mack C Shelley - Iowa State University
Marcia Laugerman - Drake University
Luke Fostvedt - Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development
William Therrien - University of Virginia
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Science education (Salem, Mass.), Vol.102(4), pp.693-710
DOI: 10.1002/sce.21341
ISSN: 0036-8326
eISSN: 1098-237X
Number of pages: 18
Language: English
Date published: 07/2018
Academic Unit: Teaching and Learning
Record Identifier: 9984083819902771

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