The Impact of Modeling Instruction within the Inverted Curriculum

Abstract

Achievement in science is a national concern, and graduating students who are college and career ready is a national imperative.  In this study, we examine student achievement on the ACT science test in the presence of the modeling instruction pedagogy and the inverted curriculum. Data were gathered over an eight year period as a single high school transitioned from teaching biology, chemistry and physics with a teacher-centric pedagogy (the traditional instructional context) to the inverted curriculum (teaching physics, chemistry and biology with a teacher-centric pedagogy) to using the modeling instruction pedagogy within the inverted curriculum (teaching physics/chemistry/biology in a student-centric inquiry-based pedagogy). Data for students graduating under these three instructional contexts were analyzed to determine if there are potential relationships between student achievement and the instructional context.  On average, ACT science scores and the percentage of students graduation college ready are higher for students learning in the two non-traditional instructional contexts.