Assessing the Effect of Using a Science–Enhanced Curriculum to Improve Agriculture Students’ Science Scores: A Causal Comparative Study

Abstract

The academic skills of today’s teenagers are diminishing, and are a cause for concern. One of the academic areas in need of improvement is science. The purpose of this causal comparative study was to determine the effect that a science–enhanced, curriculum would have on students’ achievement in science. The population for this study consisted of students in secondary agricultural education programs whose instructors held a science credential in Oklahoma during the 2009–2010 school year and were selected by state staff in the Agricultural Education Division of the Oklahoma Career and Technology Education Department to teach the science–enhanced, curriculum. In addition, 10 equally credentialed instructors formed a purposeful comparison group and were selected according to specific variables (e.g., similarity of students’ SES status) for equivalency purposes. The findings of this study revealed that a statistically significant difference in students’ science achievement did not exist as a result of the treatment. However, small practical differences were detected between the groups, as student performance in the treatment group was more than two and one–half points higher than the means of students’ performance scores in the comparison group. Recommendations point to the need for replication of the study over an entire school year.