Reading Science: Teaching Experimental Design to Developmental Readers

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Reading Science: Teaching Experimental Design to Developmental Readers

Image result for teaching students experimental design

The Gap: Experience with developmental students trying to make sense out of reports in empirical studies, mostly in the sciences/social sciences. 

Appreciating the value of empirical evidence - Example: Drinking milk before going to bed helps you sleep - my mother told me - (debunking the myth - show the study which debunks this claim). You are bound to catch a cold if there is a draft coming from the window. How do we know this is true?

Ability to interpret and analyze empirical data is of central importance to students' academic success: Standardized reading tests/reading across the curriculum - from business to psychology, from nursing to criminal justice - empirical studies/empirical evidence are the basis of academic study/our understanding of the material world. 

Research supporting benefits of teaching science for developmental readers:
Abstract of Literacy and Science: Each in the Service of the Other by P. David Pearson, Elizabeth Moje, and Cynthia Greenleaf
We use conceptual and empirical lenses to examine synergies between inquiry science and literacy teaching and learning of K-12 (kindergarten through high school) curriculum. We address two questions: (1) how can reading and writing be used as tools to support inquiry-based science, and (2) how do reading and writing benefit when embedded in an inquiry-based science setting? After elaborating the theoretical and empirical support for integrated approaches, we discuss how to support their implementation in today's complicated curricular landscape. 

Example Science Report: Really? Bright Light and Exercise Trigger Migraines
by Anahad O'Connor, NY Times 1/28/13
  1. Many migraine sufferers are way of exercise and bright flickering lights. Participants in various studies have said that bright lights are the cause of these severe headaches about half the time. Exercise seems to provoke about 20 percent of migraines.
  2. But the medical literature on migraine causes is based almost entirely on self-reporting. Rarely have researchers tested these triggers directly, raising some skepticism about whether they are truly to blame. 
  3. To figure that out, a team of scientists recently studies 27 people who reported that strenuous exercise and bright or flickering lights triggered their migraines. 
  4. The researchers subjected the participants to different types of stimulation and monitored them. To look at the effects of intense exercise, the subjects ran or pedaled on stationary bikes at a pace that brought them close to their maximum heart rates. In other scenarios, the subjects were exposed to bright lighting. 
  5. The study, published in the journal Neurology, found that none of the subjects had migraines after exposure to light alone. Six experienced migraines from exercise alone or from a combination of bright light and exercise. 
  6. Some experienced what are known as migraines with aura. In such cases, a headache is preceded by a warning sign of some kind, often a visual disturbance. 
  7. Unlike exercise, bright light may not be a cause of migraines. But more research is needed. 
Students Analyzing a Science Report from the New York Times:
1. Weak/inexperienced readers may not take notice of the methods used to conduct the experiment - 
    (the information just falls from the sky). 
2. Students may misinterpret the data and assumes a positive correlation that does not bear out in the
    findings of the study - (they can easily digest the results backwards). 
3. They may simply accept the conclusions drawn by the researchers without ever questioning the
    basic premise of the claims (Is this a valid study?/How are these conclusions drawn? (Well, they 
    are the experts, so what do I know?)

Introduction to Experimental Design
  • Identify the issue or question of interest
  • Review the relevant theories and research
  • Develop research hypothesis
  • Identify the independent and dependent variables
  • Conduct the experiment
  • Use descriptive statistics to describe the data
  • Use inferential statistics to evaluate the statistical hypothesis
  • Draw conclusions regarding the research hypothesis
  • Prepare a formal report for publication of presentation
A schematic representation of the design and analysis of an experiment 
 (Introduction to Design & Analysis: A Student's Handbook, Second Edition, by Geoffrey Keppel, William H. Saufley, Jr. and Howard Tokunaga, W. H. Freeman and Company: New York)

Designing a Study
Students design their own empirical study (An example: student attitudes on texting behavior)

  • Teaching key concepts/terminology
  • Discussing potential pitfalls/parameters
  • Brainstorming
  • Conducting experiment
  • Interpreting results







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