Google Earth

The purpose of research study is to investigated to what extent the implementation of a Google Earth (GE)-based earth science curriculum increased students’ understanding of volcanoes, earthquakes, plate tectonics, scientific reasoning abilities, and science identity.

The study consisted of nine science classrooms. In eight of the classrooms, pre and post-assessments of earth science content, scientific reasoning, and science identity were completed. In one classroom, a staggered implementation of the curriculum was completed to control for student and teacher variables. The GE curriculum were implemented to all nine classrooms advanced the students’ science identity, earth science understanding, and science reasoning, but the curriculum was most transformative in terms of scientific reasoning. To relate to the student success, there were two factors identified. Students with strong science identities and high reading proficiencies demonstrated greater science learning outcomes. Learning outcomes were not affected by math proficiency and gender.

The statistical used in the study were mean, standard deviation, and t-test. And was analyzed using Paired-Sample t Test, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Between-Subject ANOVA. The paired-sample t test was conducted to compare pre- and postimplementation test scores in science content understanding and scientific reasoning and determine whether the mean difference between two sets of observations is zero. And the Wilcoxon signed rank test was used when the dependent data are ordinal, which is the case for science identity outcomes. Consequently, this test was conducted to understand any pre-/posttest differences in students’ content understanding and scientific reasoning abilities related to science identity. And Between-Subject ANOVA was used to test whether the independent variables of pretest earth science content understanding, gender, math proficiency, reading proficiency, and science identity affected