Evaluation of the Science and Technology Concepts for Middle Schools (STC/MS) Program, Phase II

This evaluation was conducted to assess student achievement in the Science and Technology Concepts for Middle Schools (STC/MS) program and the effectiveness of four instructional units developed by the National Science Resources Center (NSRC). To determine the effectiveness of a unit, CSTEEP developed a test for each unit and administered each test to two groups of comparable students following unit instruction. One student group received the inquiry-based instruction from the unit (the treatment group) while the other group did not (the control group).

The sample for each unit varied but consisted of a minimum of 488 students in the treatment group and 74 students in the control group. Since most of the items used in constructing the tests were taken from previously existing assessments (TIMSS and NAEP), comparisons to international and/or national groups were possible. The test results indicated that the treatment groups outperformed the control groups for all four units. Consistent, statistically significant differences provided evidence to support the contention that the four curriculum units were more effective in teaching the scientific concepts assessed than were the more traditional instructional approaches employed with the control groups.

Students exposed to the STC/MS curriculum also outperformed the national and international comparison groups. Together, this pattern of results suggests that all four of the curriculum units were very effective in teaching science and technology concepts to middle school students.

Click here to view the full report

Return to the Research Table