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Scientific Disciplinary Literacy

Alexandra Hack

Arizona State University

RDG 323: Literacy Process/Content Areas

Dr. Lana Haddy and Nicole Trombley, M.Ed.

September 6, 2020
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Scientific Disciplinary Literacy

Literacy is the cornerstone of education and can be broken down into content literacy and

disciplinary literacy. Though both are incredibly important, the use of disciplinary literacy is

particularly vital to students’ success. There are several challenges students face in regards to

scientific literacy; students struggle with the highly specialized and abstract scientific

terminology, the need to make complicated inferences, and the lack of engaging scientific text

utilized in classrooms. In order to solve these problems, improvements must be made to teacher

education programs, the use of graphic organizers and visuals can be incorporated into

curriculum, and educators can utilize trade books, respectively.

Importance of Adolescent Literacy Instruction

In order for students to be successful in the classroom and beyond, educators must

incorporate literacy in their instruction. UNESCO Education Sector (2004) defines literacy as

“the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed

and written materials associated with varying contexts”. Due to the reliance on technology in

today’s world that definition is ever evolving. Literacy in the classroom can be broken down into

two approaches: content literacy and disciplinary literacy. In content area literacy, students learn

reading and writing interpretation, composition, and revision skills that can be utilized across

different disciplines (International Literacy Association, 2017). Content literacy teaches students

strategies that can be used universally. In order to optimize student success educators need to

teach literacy strategies specific to their discipline. The skills students learn in a disciplinary

literacy approach align with the unique goals and practices of that specific discipline. Honing
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disciplinary literacy skills help students meet specific standards, develop critical thinking skills,

and provide a foundation for future success.

Explanation of Scientific Disciplinary Literacy

The primary goal of science education is to support students in their quest to figure out

how the world works and make sense of complex phenomena and questions (Arizona

Department of Education, n.d.). “Scientific disciplinary literacy focuses on how reading, writing,

speaking, and listening are used to develop sense-making in science” (Arizona Department of

Education, n.d.). Scientific disciplinary literacy is two-fold in that it refers to the development of

both fundamental and derived senses (Fang, 2013). The derived sense refers to the considerable

task of learning the “big ideas, core concepts, and key relationships in science” (Fang, 2013).

While the fundamental aspect of science literacy is the ability to read, write, and reason with

scientific texts (Fang, 2013). In order for students to successfully develop the fundamental and

derived senses they must engage in hands-on kinesthetic experiences and the secondhand

practice of reading, writing, evaluating, and debating scientific texts (Fang, 2013). Literacy in

science extends way beyond literature. It also involves visual, digital, data, media, computer, and

ethical literacies. While the incorporation of all these different kinds of literacies engages

students, it also adds another layer for students to understand. One of the most unique aspects of

disciplinary literacy in science is how well it lends itself to a variety of modes of learning.

Content can be delivered visually, aurally, in writing, and kinesthetically; appealing to students’

diverse needs and offering multiple modalities by which educators can teach scientific

disciplinary literacy. Overall, scientific disciplinary literacy supports students’ sense of wonder,

allowing them to build complex connections and strengthening their critical thinking skills.
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Supporting Students in Science

Challenge #1

One of the key challenges students face in regards to scientific disciplinary literacy is that

there is a significant gap between the language we use everyday and the language found in

scientific texts (Feez & Quinn, 2017). Science literacy involves abstract thought, specialized

terminology and modifiers, it requires students to grasp complex conceptual ideas that are

captured in a single word or phrase (Lee & Spratley, 2010, p. 5). Additionally, science literacy

incorporates mathematical literacy and heavily involves visual literacy using graphs, pictures,

diagrams, and maps (Lee & Spratley, 2010, p. 5). Scientific language and writing is stringent and

requires students to use a very specific set of vocabulary, it follow a strict syntax that the students

likely have not encountered previously. In order to help students deal with these complexities,

improvements can be made to teacher education programs. Integrating the teaching of literacy

with the teaching of science into teacher education programs will better prepare teachers to help

students overcome obstacles related to lexicon. Feez & Quinn (2017) advocate for a teacher

education pedagogy where pre-service teachers learn an inquiry approach to teaching science

that is “augmented with a sequence of discipline-specific literacy activities for scaffolding the

writing of scientific texts to report and explain inquiry findings”. By working with English

teachers, pre-service science teachers can focus on vocabulary development, paragraph structure,

and grammar. Having science and English teachers collaborate and help pre-service teachers

develop their own skills and toolbox for teaching their students the complexities of science

language will help increase teacher effectiveness, and thus, student achievement. Science

education cannot be isolated from literacy education. If science teachers are better equipped to
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teach the linguistic complexities of their subject then students will be more successful in science

literacy.

Challenge #2

Science texts rely heavily on inference making, something many students find

challenging. There are two kinds of inferences students must make when examining scientific

materials. Students have to make inferences within a body of text and they have to make

inferences about how the material relates to their prior scientific knowledge (Roman et al.,

2016). In order to teach students inference, teachers can incorporate graphic organizers into their

curriculum. Graphic organizers help students make visual connections between concepts. While

carefully reading the text, teachers need to identify key ideas and possible inferential obstacles

that their students might stumble upon (Roman et al., 2016). Once teachers have emphasized

critical points, these points can be linked together visually in a graphic organizer to help students

understand how to make inferences and understand the chain of inferences within a body of text.

Teachers can verbally explain the organizer and can work with students to further identify the

critical points and their logical connections (Roman et al., 2016). The use of graphic organizers

provides an additional way for students to make sense of the information and helps develop their

inference making skills.

Challenge #3

A major tenet of science literacy is the practice of reading, writing, and critiquing

scientific literature. Text is underused and undervalued in science classrooms due to the

misconception that science is mostly an empirical subject and science textbooks are

unsatisfactory (Fang, 2013). In order to solve this problem, teachers should incorporate trade
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books in their curriculum. There are a variety of trade books available to accommodate a diverse

array of students. They are a more accurate source of scientific information, have the ability to

take the reader on an exciting journey, and portray science as it is in the real world (Fang, 2013).

“Trade books are generally viewed as a powerful resource for developing students’ science

content knowledge, scientific inquiry skills, positive attitudes toward science, and scientific

attitudes, as well as their understanding of the nature of science and the nature of scientific

inquiry" (Fang, 2013). Trade books can be utilized to facilitate discussions, help teachers

organize their units, let students study scientists and scientific careers, and help students learn the

genres of science (Fang, 2013). By replacing antiquated and mundane texts with trade books,

teachers can provide students with a superior platform from which they can develop their science

literacy skills.

Conclusion

Teaching students literacy skills both from a content standpoint and a disciplinary

standpoint helps set them up for success within a specific discipline and beyond. The challenges

students face in regards to scientific disciplinary literacy are the use of onerous terminology, the

need to make inferences, and the underuse of science text. In order to try and solve these

challenges, changes can be made to teacher education programs so educators are better equipped

to help teach their students how to navigate scientific vocabulary and learn how to properly

engage in the syntax. Teachers can incorporate graphic organizers in their lessons to help bridge

the gaps in students’ ability to make inferences. Finally, teachers can utilize trade books as a

quality source of science text. At the end of the day, secondary education teachers have a
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responsibility to give their students the tools to understand the complexities of their discipline,

retain the content, and be able to apply their knowledge in the classroom and beyond.
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References

Arizona Department of Education. (n.d.). Disciplinary Literacy in High School Science.

Retrieved from https://cms.azed.gov/home/GetDocumentFile?

id=5a0476ae3217e104b0543f32

Fang, Z. (2013). Disciplinary Literacy in Science: Developing Science Literacy Through Trade

Books. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 57(4), 274–278. https://doi.org/10.1002/

JAAL.250

Feez, S., & Quinn, F. (2017). Teaching the distinctive language of science: An integrated and

scaffolded approach for pre-service teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 65, 192–

204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.03.019

International Literacy Association. (2017). Content area and disciplinary literacy: Strategies and

frameworks (Literacy leadership brief). Newark, DE: Author.

Lee, C.D., Spratley, A. (2010). Reading in the disciplines: The challenges of adolescent literacy.

New York, NY: Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Roman, D., Jones, F., Basaraba, D., & Hironaka, S. (2016). Helping Students Bridge Inferences

in Science Texts Using Graphic Organizers. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy,

60(2), 121–130. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.555

UNESCO Education Sector. (2004). The Plurality of literacy and its Implications for Policies

and Programmes. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization.

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