Integrating Scientific Communication Into Middle School Lessons: a Curriculum Design Research

Abstract

In this study, a Scientific Communication Curriculum (SCC) was designed for middle school students and teachers to equip them with scientific communication (SC) skills, and the skills included in the SCC were integrated into the middle school lessons. Within the framework of the Curriculum Design Research (CDR), designing the Scientific Communication Curriculum (SCC) and integrating into the lessons were conducted by two cycles and each cycle consisted of four stages; analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation. In the first cycle, SCC was developed and implemented for the evaluating the effectiveness of the SCC in terms of teaching scientific communication skills to the students with the help of Information Technology (IT) course teacher. In the second cycle, the scientific communication skills were integrated into the lessons in collaboration with the teachers and the School Librarian (SL). As a part of the design process, the Teacher Training Program (TTP) was organized to equip all middle school teachers with scientific communication skills and to help them how to teach and how to integrate the SC skills. Furthermore the TTP served as a professional development component of the CDR framework. Based on the quasi-experimental study results and also opinions of the students and the IT teacher towards the first implementation stage, it was concluded that the SCC was effective in equipping students with scientific communication skills. Regarding the findings from the second cycle, the integration process was satisfying for the teachers and the SL. Teachers found the TTP helpful for their professional development. According to views of the teachers and the SL on the integration process was a positive and useful step for them. The results of this study were addressed and discussed under the headings of design principles, curriculum components, and professional development that are components of the CDR model.