Academic Vocabulary Acquisition in a 3rd Grade Science Classroom: A Mixed-Methods Embedded Study

With the acceptance of the Next Generation Science Standards, elementary-aged students are encouraged to develop the skills needed to communicate their thinking in science efficiently and effectively (NGSS, 2013). Since implementing these new standards in 2013, South Carolina has seen a decline in science standardized testing scores for grades 3-5. These results show that science and engineering skills support 67% of U.S. jobs today (National Science Foundation, 2021), and the current trend is that science and engineering skills are essential to students today and provide a rationale for exploring how teachers can help students develop the vocabulary necessary to communicate their thinking scientifically. In this mixed methods study, a concurrent embedded design was implemented to investigate the impacts of a vocabulary-focused model of instruction on 3rd-grade students' vocabulary knowledge. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered to explain changes in students' acquisition of vocabulary knowledge. Findings indicate that focusing on scientific vocabulary is critical for student success in the science classroom.