Impact of the Science and Technology for Children Curriculum in the Oshkosh Area School District

• Published in: School Science and Mathematics
• Main Authors: Joseph Lattery, Mark, Lemberger, John, Herzog, Barbara
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2002
• Subjects: Terranova
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2002.tb17906.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1949-8594.2002.tb17906.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2002.tb17906.x

This study examines the instructional impact of National Science Resources Center's Science and Technology for Children curriculum in the Oshkosh Area School District. Specifically, the instructional effectiveness of four physical‐science units for grades 1‐4 were investigated. Students were pre‐ and posttested using a multiple‐choice exam containing items adapted from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, National Association of Educational Progress, TerraNova, and other widely recognized sources. Results were compared with existing instructional materials. Extensive resources for data interpretation include audiotaped lessons, classroom observations, interviews with students and teachers, student‐attitude surveys, and observations of teacher training. Results suggest that the adoption of this curriculum among experienced teachers in the district will provide little or no immediate gains on student achievement and potentially a slight decrease in student attitudes toward science.