Quality of Adolescent Science Writing and its Connection to Teaching Practices
Submitted by:
Maria Espinosa
Abstract:
Writing plays a central role in mediating school learning, serving not only as a means of communicating knowledge but also as a tool for its construction (Graham, Kiuhara & MacKay, 2020; Huerta & Garza, 2019). However, there is limited evidence in Spanish and within the Latin American context regarding the nature of writing in the field of Science, especially among adolescents, and how it is taught in the school context. Framed within the epistemic tradition of writing (Bazerman & Herrington, 2006; Klein & Boscolo, 2016), this study aims to analyze the quality of writing related to a scientific topic and explore which teaching practices of science teachers promote higher-quality texts in their subject area. The study sample comprises 21 8th-grade Science teachers from 21 schools in Santiago, Chile, and their students (N=649). Each student was tasked with composing an explanatory booklet on the topic of drought. To evaluate text quality, a validated three-dimensional rubric encompassing purpose, development of ideas, and organization was employed. Two raters applied the rubric to the texts, with 20% double-coding. The preliminary findings revealed varied performance among students, with purpose being the least accomplished dimension in all groups, signaling the need for targeted interventions in this area. Additionally, researchers recorded video footage of three Science classes taught by a subset of three teachers whose students demonstrated the best performance in the task. Two researchers conducted content analysis of these classes using CAQDAS software, with double coding. The analysis aims to explore the genre used in the observed classes, the purpose of the writing activity, and the scaffolding strategies employed by teachers to support writing, with the goal of identifying specific teaching practices with the potential to foster high-level writing skills in the field of Science among adolescents. The findings of this study seek to provide concrete implications for enhancing writing proficiency within academic disciplines, with a particular emphasis on scientific literacy.
References
Bazerman, C. & Herrington, A. (2006) Circles of Interest: The Growth of Research Communities in WAC and WID/WIP. In S. McLeod (Ed.) Inventing a Profession: WAC History. Parlor Press.
Graham, S., Kiuhara, S., & MacKay, M. (2020). The Effects of Writing on Learning in Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 20(10), 1-48.
Huerta, M., & Garza, T. (2019). Writing in science: Why, how, and for whom? A systematic literature review of 20 years of intervention research (1996–2016). Educational Psychology Review, 31, 533-570.
Klein, P.D., & Boscolo, P. (2016). Trends in research on writing as a learning activity. Journal of Writing Research, 7(3), 311- 350.