The Effects of Visualizations on Linguistically Diverse Students' Understanding of Energy and Matter in Life Science

Findings

Life Sciences (Biology, Environmental, and Health Sciences) outcomes—Uncertain effects found for the domain

Outcome measure	Comparison	Period	Sample	Intervention mean	Comparison mean	Significant?	Improvement     index
Show Supplemental Findings
Researcher-developed assessment of student understanding of energy and matter	Dynamic visualizations - Ryoo & Bedell (2017) vs. Static visualizations - Ryoo & Bedell (2017)	0 Days	English language learners; 152 students	4.07	3.59	Yes	19

Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Study Details

Setting

The study took place in 16 seventh-grade mainstream science classrooms in two public, low-income middle schools. The schools served growing populations of students who spoke a language other than English at home.

Study sample

The study randomly assigned 331 seventh-grade students ages 13 to 14 to participate in the intervention (166 students) or to be part of the comparison group (165 students). The analysis included 319 of those students. Specifically, the analysis sample included 152 English learners, defined in this study as students who mainly spoke a language other than English with their parents at home and who were able to communicate in everyday English, and 167 non-English learners. Students received instruction in regular science classrooms, and the study focused on learning about energy and matter in photosynthesis and cellular respiration. At one of the two schools included in the study sample, the student population was 69 percent Hispanic, 13 percent African American, and 11 percent White, and 88 percent of students were eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunch. At the other school in the sample, the student population was 31 percent Hispanic, 9 percent African American, and 56 percent White, and 47 percent of students were eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunch.

Intervention Group

The intervention used interactive dynamic visualizations within a single unit of an online learning program called Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (WISE). The unit was focused on helping students understand how energy and matter change during photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Students worked through six online inquiry activities in the WISE unit, and the dynamic visualizations showed motion and change over time, such as how light energy is transformed and how molecules are broken apart and rearranged. The activities asked students to make predictions before viewing the visualizations and then reflect on what they learned afterward using evidence from what they saw. Students worked in pairs during their regular science instruction over about two weeks.

Comparison Group

Students in the comparison group completed the same WISE unit on the same life science topics, but they used interactive static visualizations instead of interactive dynamic visualizations. The static visualizations presented the same content and written explanations as the intervention, but they used still images rather than showing motion. Students also worked in pairs, answered prediction and reflection questions, and completed the unit during regular science instruction over about two weeks.

Support for implementation

Before the study began, participating teachers received professional development on how to use the web-based inquiry environment, how visualizations could help linguistically diverse students learn science, how to guide student discussion, and how to give feedback on student work. During the study, at least one member of the study team was present each day to observe instruction and provide ongoing coaching and support to teachers.