Abstract:
This research studioo the effect of integrated instruction in mathematics and~
science on student achievement in and attitude towards both mathematics and science.
A group of grade 9 academic students received instruction in both science and
mathematics in an integrated program specifically developed for the purposes of the
research. This group was compared to a control group that had received science and
mathematics instruction in a traditional, nonintegrated program. The findings showed
that in all measures of attitude, there was no significant difference between the
students who participated in the integrated science and mathematics program and
those who participated in a traditional science and mathematics program. The findings
also revealed that integration did improve achievement on some of the measures used.
The performance on mathematics open-ended problem-solving tasks improved after
participation in the integrated program, suggesting that the integrated students were
better able to apply their understanding of mathematics in a real-life context. The
performance on the final science exam was also improved for the integrated group.
Improvement was not noted on the other measures, which included EQAO scores and
laboratory practical tasks. These results raise the issue of the suitability of the
instruments used to gauge both achievement and attitude. The accuracy and suitability
of traditional measures of achievement are considered. It is argued that they should
not necessarily be used as the measure of the value of integrated instruction in a
science and mathematics classroom.
