Caryn Asherson
SED 600
Dr. Rivas
March 4, 2007
Current Event #1
“The Role of Children’s Journals in Elementary School Science Activities”
This article presents the findings of a study that examines how writing in science journals
can promote literacy and guide student understanding of science phenomena. The author
suggests that by creating their own science journals, students are able to demonstrate how they
construct knowledge, as well as how they see and think about science. He advises that writing
assists students in making meaning of their ideas and provides them with an opportunity to
interpret the results of their science investigations. Furthermore, he proposes that journal writing
encourages students to participate in their own learning. As a result, students are provided with a
sense of self worth.
Strengths
Encourages Interpretation of Results
The benefits of student created journals have been investigated in depth in language arts
classrooms. However, there has not been as much research dedicated to the advantages of
using journals to observe how students approach science experiences. One of the key strengths
of this study is that it proves that journals have the potential to move students beyond simply
completing science investigations. Students are often very enthusiastic about conducting science
experiments. Yet, they may not be as eager to spend time making sense of their results.
Journals encourage the students to make sense of the investigations.
Students Observed in Multiple Contexts
The researchers of this study use multiple contexts for analyzing children’s approaches to
journal use and the development of their literacy skills. By analyzing journal use in small group
science activities, researchers were able to examine in detail the growth of science understanding
in students. Moreover, since the study was all school year long, the small groups contained
different peer arrangements as well as different science content and investigations.
Various Methods of Collecting Data
The researchers did not rely on any single type of data collection. Rather, the data was
gathered in a variety of ways and taken at different times. Examiners looked for recurring
patterns to emerge by using single and cross-case analytic induction. Student investigations
were videotaped and recorded with audio. Researchers engaged in informal interviews with
teachers and students. In addition, they took theoretical, methodological, and contextual field
notes. Since multiple data sources and methods of data collection were used, triangulation was
ensured.
Weaknesses
Limited Diversity
This study was performed in one kindergarten and one fourth grade classroom in the
Midwestern United States. The students were from middle to upper class families. The ethnic
composition of the kindergarten class included five Asian students, one African-American student,
and twelve Caucasian students. All of the students in the fourth grade class were Caucasian. It
may be beneficial to repeat this study in an area where students come from more diverse
socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds to see if the overall findings are affected.
Narrow Focal Groups
After several weeks of observation, six students from each class were chosen to be in the
focal groups. The researchers paid particular attention to these students in order to observe
results in more detail. However, the students chosen were “developmentally on course (i.e. not
exhibiting any linguistic, cognitive, or social delay) and English-speaking (i.e. not enrolled in
English language instruction).” (Shepardson, Britsch, p. 6) The problem with this is that the focal
groups are not representative of the typical population of students in today’s classrooms. In
many schools, a large percentage of students speak English as their second language.
Moreover, a significant percentage of students display cognitive and social delays.
Implications
Science journals provide a window for teachers to see how students are developing their
ideas and conceptions about science. Journals can be a very effective tool for students to
express meaning. Evaluation of journals can help teachers become aware of how students’ prior
experiences shape their awareness of science concepts. This knowledge enables the teacher to
work with students to fill gaps in student understanding.
Reflection
This year long study shed light on how children’s literacy skills evolve in the context of
science investigations. I am very interested in using science to help develop students’ reading
and writing abilities. I find that many students enter my class lacking fundamental literacy skills. I
am constantly looking for ways to integrate literacy into the science curriculum. This study
convinced me that journals can enhance the science curriculum by enabling students to use
writing to construct and represent their understandings. Journals can be more than just a place
for students to describe lab procedures or record observed results. They can be a medium by
which students can report their explanations and interpretations of science phenomena.
References
1. Shepardson, Daniel P. and Britsch, Susan J. (2001) The Role of Children’s Journals in
Elementary School Science Activities. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38 (1), 43-69.