| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the impact of a literacy-infused, inquiry-based science curriculum on English learners’ (ELs’) English oral language expressive skills as measured by the Woodcock Muñoz Survey-Revised subtests: Picture Vocabulary and Verbal Analogies (Woodcock-Muñoz-Sandoval, Ruef, & Alvarado, 2005). In addition to their oral language expressive skills, this study also sought to examine if there existed differences between male and female ELs’ oral language expressive skills. Moreover, a quantitative analysis was utilized to further examine differences in the utilization of “student-talk” and/or “student-teacher interactions” which may have occurred between classrooms where the intervention was used and where the intervention was not used. The present study was derived from a randomized, longitudinal, field-based NSF funded research project (PR/Award Number U411B120047) English Language and Literacy Acquisition-Validation (ELLA-V)) which sought to target ELs and the development of their second language in a large, urban school district on the Texas-Mexico border. This study used archived data from one of two interventions: Content Reading Integrating Science for English Language and Literacy Acquisition (CRISELLA). The data provided was of third grade students and their pre- and post-tests from two oral language proficiency tests. Utilizing descriptive statistics, a two-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) as well as a Chi-Square Analysis of Homogeneity, a sample of 141 participants was analyzed to answer the research questions. As indicated by the statistical analysis, the data demonstrated that there was a statistically significant difference between the treatment and control groups. English learners who participated in the intervention showed higher means in the area of oral language skills as reflected by the Muñoz Survey-Revised subtests. The two-way ANCOVA analysis also did not find a statistically significant difference between males and females indicating that the intervention did not discriminate among gender groups. Furthermore, the Chi-Square Analysis of Homogeneity indicated that there were differences that existed in the time allocated for the variety of activity structures between treatment and control classrooms in which ELs had opportunities to engage in “student-talk” and/or “teacher-to-student interactions”. This is crucial to note because the intervention followed in the treatment classrooms provided for such opportunities for these activity structures to generate “student-talk” and/or “student-teacher interactions”. Additionally, the study presents much needed research in the areas of ELs, literacy, STEM and gender in a high-needs area: the Texas-Mexico border. | en |
