The Role of Instructional Design in the Delivery of Early Science Instruction

A critical tenet of education research is establishing what works. Another is exploring theorized mechanisms of change to help ascertain why academic programs work, for whom, and under which conditions. In other words, unpacking the black boxes of academic programs. This study explored the quality of teachers’ facilitation of (a) scientific investigations and (b) science discourse during and after the implementation of a systematic, explicit second-grade science program (Scientific Explorers-2). Our results demonstrated that relative to comparison classrooms, Scientific Explorers-2 classrooms delivered significantly higher quality scientific investigations. The quality of science discourse and maintenance effects for both measures were not statistically significant, but favored treatment classrooms in each case. Implications for designing science programs that support the delivery of high-quality science instruction that meets the needs of all students, particularly students with or at risk of learning disabilities, are discussed.