ma in teaching research proposal

Running Head: IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEMENT IN BIOLOGY WITH PLTW 1

Improving Student Achievement through a Project Lead The Way Module in 12th Grade

Biology

Jordan Hampton

University of the Cumberlands

Dr. Eric Rosser, Professor

Spring IG 2016

IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN BIOLOGY WITH PLTW

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Commerce has estimated that the number of jobs in science, technology,

engineering, and math (STEM) will increase up to 17 percent by 2018, however over 1 million of

those jobs will go unfilled due to the lack of qualified employees. This problem can be addressed

if STEM classes at the high school level improve such that students are provided the knowledge

and skills necessary to be successful in college and future STEM careers. Project Lead the Way

(PLTW) is one program that has designed curriculums in STEM subjects at the high school level

to better prepare students for the future STEM job market. Though PLTW’s curriculum has been

shown to improve student achievement in mathematics and engineering, little research has been

done to show if PLTW’s curriculum is improving student achievement in biology. The objective

of this active research is to investigate the effect that a PLTW Module has on student

achievement and student motivation in a class of twelfth grade students. This unique intervention

utilizes guided-inquiry and problem-based-learning, helping students to ask questions and then

investigate the problem in the laboratory setting. Student achievement will be measured

quantitatively pre-and post-intervention. Student motivation to learn will be measured

qualitatively using a survey pre- and post-intervention. The researcher hypothesizes that results

of the quantitative research question will reveal that the PLTW intervention will positively and

significantly impact student achievement, in comparison to the students preliminary test scores.

The researcher also hypothesizes that the results of the qualitative research question will reveal a

significant increase in student motivation when compared to preliminary survey results. This

study is necessary in order to better understand how to best prepare students for future STEM

careers, particularly in biology, and biomedical science.

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Chapter One: Introduction

Improving Student Achievement Through a PLTW Module in 12th Grade Biology

In education, students are often seeking motivation to learn the concepts unique to the

subject area being taught. Many students seek that motivation in the potential ability to apply the

knowledge gained to ones own life in the present or in the future. For this reason, some teachers

encourage students to learn the content of the class in order to apply that knowledge in ones

future career (Christie 2011). This is especially true of careers in science, technology,

engineering, and math (STEM). The U.S. Department of Commerce has estimated that STEM

jobs will increase up to 17 percent by 2018, however over 1 million of those jobs will go unfilled

due to the lack of qualified employees (Langdon, McKittrick et al. 2011). Among the highest

paying, are those jobs in engineering and biomedical science. Therefore it benefits students to

gain the knowledge and skills needed for the future job market while learning in these STEM

classes.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a non-profit organization that has designed high school

curriculums in math, engineering, computer science, and biomedical science. PLTW’s focus is

on giving students the skills to be successful in future STEM careers (PLTW 2014b). A review

of the current peer-reviewed literature shows that PLTW is improving student achievement in

math and engineering; however, little research has been done to show if PLTW’s curriculum is

improving student achievement in biology. It is necessary then to evaluate the learning theory

upon which PLTW is based, and see how it can be applied to the biology curriculum, in order to

see the effect it has on student achievement. Therefore, the goal of this action research proposal

is to apply PLTW’s problem-based learning (PBL) approach to the high school biology

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curriculum in order to see the effect this approach has on student achievement, and the effect this

approach has on student motivation to learn.

The participants of this study will be twelfth grade biology students at a school in

Kentucky partnered with PLTW. The class size will consist of approximately thirty students,

fifteen being female, and fifteen being male. Of those students, approximately twenty-one will be

Caucasian, six will be African-American, and three will be Asian. The methodology will include

a pre-intervention-test composed of questions testing knowledge, critical-thinking, and

application, as well as a post-intervention-test. This will be used to measure the effects the

PLTW module has on student achievement. A survey will also be used pre-intervention and post-

intervention asking students to reflect and rank their level of motivation to learn in the biology

classroom.

This study includes a clear statement of the problem, the relevant background, a thorough

review of the current literature, as well as a detailed methodology. The background will provide

a sufficient context to understand PLTW’s foundational learning theory as well as the

organizations goals for students. The literature review will focus on PBL, PLTW’s use of PBL in

curricular design, the support for such a curricular design, the support for PLTW based on

student achievement, and the gap in the literature regarding PLTW’s impact on student

achievement in biology. Lastly the methodology chapter will focus on the experimental design,

the sampling/participants, the instruments/materials, the procedures for data collection and data

analysis, and the limitations and delimitations of the study.

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Problem Statement

PBL has been shown to improve student achievement, and PLTW has been successful in

applying PBL to mathematics and engineering curriculums (Tai 2012, Van Overschelde 2013).

PLTW students perform better on standardized tests at the high school level when compared to

non-PLTW students. However, most of the comparisons in the literature focus on math and

engineering. There is a gap in our understanding of the effect PLTW is having on student

achievement specifically in the subject of biology. Therefore this study intends to investigate the

impact a PLTW Module has on student achievement in twelfth grade biology.

Background for the Study

Research in the past decade has shown that the traditional-learning format, namely

lecturing, has provided students with knowledge and comprehension, but has not provided

students with the skills to apply that knowledge to new and authentic experiences. Students in the

traditional-learning system then, are not given the opportunity to practice the skills necessary for

the growing number of STEM careers. For this reason, there has been a transition from

traditional-learning to problem-based learning (Kolmos 2002). Problem-based learning (PBL)

presents students with a specific problem scenario in the area being studied, and it requires

learners to apply the learned concepts and techniques in order to present a plausible solution to

the problem (McConnell, Parker et al. 2013). When this occurs, learners are simulating a real-life

application of the skills needed for the future job market. According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, the

successful application of these skills is an even better indicator of competence than simpler

levels of learning like knowledge and comprehension (Zigmont, Kappus et al. 2011).

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In order to have students most effectively simulate a real-life application, teachers use

guided-inquiry coupled with activity-, project-, problem-based learning (Carrió, Larramona et al.

2011). This is a hybrid methodology where students are first presented information in a lecture

format, then presented a problem or “case” that needs to be solved using that information

(Balslev, de Grave et al. 2005), and finally given the tools necessary to apply that knowledge in

order to solve the problem or “case”. This type of approach has been incorporated into some high

school science curriculums around the U.S, both in the chemistry classroom (Snodgrass, Lux et

al. 2011), and the biology classroom (Bonds and Paolella 2006, Wilensky and Reisman 2006).

This form of PBL has been selectively applied in the biology classroom and shown to improve

student achievement (Chin and Chia 2004, Kendler and Grove 2004, Sungur, Tekkaya et al.

2006), but more research needs to be done on a variety of topics within the biology curriculum in

order see the impact this learning format can have on student achievement in biology. This in

turn would help prepare students for the biological and biomedical careers of the future.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is one organization that focuses on preparing students for

the growing number of careers in STEM by utilizing PBL as described above (PLTW 2014b).

The courses designed by PLTW are focused on integrating STEM skills into the high school

curriculum. Specifically, PLTW has programs in math, engineering, computer science, and

biomedical science. After reviewing the literature, one can see that student achievement in math

and engineering has been significantly improved by PLTW, however there is little research in the

literature on the effect in the biology classroom.

Purpose of the Study and Research Questions

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect that a PLTW Module has on student

achievement and student motivation in a class of twelfth grade students. This study is necessary

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in order to better understand how to best prepare students from future STEM careers, particularly

in biology, and biomedical science. In order to determine the effect of this intervention will

gather quantitative and qualitative data. The research will attempt to address the following

questions:

1. How does the implementation of a PLTW Biomedical Curricular Unit impact student

achievement on post-assessments in a twelfth grade biology classroom?

2. How does the implementation of a PLTW Biomedical Curricular Unit impact student

motivation in a twelfth grade biology classroom?

The researcher hypothesizes that results of the quantitative research question will reveal that

the PLTW intervention will positively and significantly impact student achievement, in

comparison to the students preliminary test scores. The researcher also hypothesizes that the

results of the qualitative research question will reveal a significant increase in student motivation

when compared to preliminary survey results.

Key Definitions

Guided-inquiry- a method of instruction where a teacher or student writes an inquiry question,

and the student then engages in higher-level thinking skills of summarizing information,

analyzing data, and evaluating the findings (Great Lakes Lessons 2012).

Problem-based learning- presents students with an authentic and specific problem scenario, and

requires learners to apply concepts and techniques previously learned in order to identify

important information, ask questions, form hypotheses, research and test those hypotheses,

interpret the data, and synthesize the findings so as to present a plausible solution to the problem

(McConnell, Parker et al. 2013).

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Project Lead the Way- a non-profit organization that is the United States leading provider of K-

12 STEM programs. PLTW designs curriculums in STEM subjects using the problem-based

learning approach to help students develop the skills needed in higher education and future

STEM jobs (PLTW 2014b).

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Chapter Two: Literature Review

Introduction

Currently, the United States faces a dilemma due to the growing number of available jobs

in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and the lack of qualified workers to fill

those jobs. Over 1 million of these jobs will go unfilled (Bertram 2014), leading some to call this

the “STEM Gap” (Goral 2015). For this reason, Project Lead The Way (PLTW), has developed a

high school curriculum that meets Common Core Standards (CCS), and is intended to motivate

students to pursue STEM careers through higher education, while also teaching students the

skills needed to excel in college and future careers. A review of the literature will reveal the

approach PLTW takes in designing its curriculum, the research that supports that approach, and

the effectiveness of PLTW in improving student achievement in various ways. After reviewing

the relevant literature, one will see that PLTW is largely supported by the research both in its

problem-based design and positive impact on student achievement. However, a review of the

literature also reveals that most of the current research has focused almost exclusively on only

two subareas within PLTW’s curriculum, namely mathematics and engineering, revealing the

need for further investigation on the impact of PLTW in the biology classroom.

Curricular Design of PLTW

The creators of PLTW use a problem-based design to structure STEM curriculums

(PLTW 2014a). Problem-based learning (PBL) simply presents students with an authentic and

specific problem scenario, and requires learners to apply concepts and techniques previously

learned in order to identify important information, ask questions, form hypotheses, research and

test those hypotheses, interpret the data, and synthesize the findings so as to present a plausible

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solution to the problem (McConnell, Parker et al. 2013). For example, McConnel et. al. (2013)

presented one such authentic problem to a group of educators by asking the group to investigate

the impact of zebra mussels on the salmon in Lake Michigan and how invasive species impact

the food web. So one can see that the goal of PBL is to facilitate and guide the learning process,

while leaving that process open for the student to inquire and explore.

PBL incorporates two other important elements however, namely cohesion and

motivation. Frequently, students are engaged in a passive learning process whereby subject

matter is learned in isolation from other related subjects, and from the application to the real

world. For this reason, cohesion emphasizes students’ utilization of knowledge gained from other

subjects and other concepts within the same subject (Nathan, Srisurichan et al. 2013), while

motivation emphasizes the application of that knowledge to the real world. Cohesion requires

students to coordinate recently learned concepts by making associations with other areas of

knowledge, and then projecting that knowledge forward to make connections and predictions, or

backward to make sense of prior experience or the past (Nathan, Srisurichan et al. 2013). All of

this is done to form a hypothesis, but it is also important for students to then research or

experiment in order to critically assess and test those hypotheses. This requires motivation,

which is the second element that PBL emphasizes. One example of how PLTW motivated

students was by presenting a class of engineering students with the problem of assessing the risk

of failure of a local dam. By choosing the local dam, the students’ saw the relevance of the

project because the flooding caused by failure of the dam would have a major impact on the

students’ own lives as well as the lives of their families (Boynton and Hossain 2010). Therefore,

the design of PLTW is to use PBL and emphasize an interdisciplinary cohesion, as well as

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motivation to apply knowledge and skill as the learner openly investigates and solves an

authentic problem.

Support for the Curricular Design of PLTW

There is widespread support across the literature for PBL, because it improves students’

data literacy (Erwin Jr 2015), scientific communication (Kolber 2011), cohesion (Nathan,

Srisurichan et al. 2013), and motivation (Boynton and Hossain 2010). In regard to data literacy,

the students improved in the ability to analyze data for statistical significance, and the ability to

interpret and report the findings in answer to an authentic problem scenario concerning natural

resources and mortality (Erwin Jr 2015). All of these skills coincide with skills needed in a

STEM career, ultimately achieving the goal of PLTW. In regard to scientific communication,

this is key to any career in STEM, again making PLTW’s efforts well founded. Cohesion also

improved with the incorporation of PBL, however the subjects in the study were engineering

students alone, making it difficult to draw this conclusion for other areas of STEM such as

biology. Lastly, Boynton (2010) showed that a local PBL scenario could be a preferable

“motivational tool” (pg 231). It is also worth noting here that PBL has been shown to benefit

teachers as well as students (McConnell, Parker et al. 2013). The researchers found that teachers’

general knowledge and ability to apply concepts to the problem scenarios improved significantly

compared to the teachers’ pre-PBL assessment.

Support for PLTW Design Based On Student Achievement

Not only is there support for PBL in general, but there is support for the positive impact

PLTW has on student achievement. One study found that of 56,000 high school graduates from

Indiana, students who participated in PLTW three times more likely to major in STEM ( Robbins

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2014). A separate study done in Texas found that PLTW students scored higher on the states

mathematic assessment than non-PLTW students (Van Overschelde 2013). The same study

found that PLTW enrollment in Texas increased on average by 400%. A third separate study was

conducted in Iowa, and found that PLTW students had higher mathematic and science

achievement than non-PLTW students (Tai 2012). This data strongly suggests that PLTW is

successful in helping students improve individual test scores in High School, while also helping

the students to succeed at a much higher rate in STEM at the college as well. There was one

important study done however, that showed that PLTW appear to be ahead of non-PLTW

students in the standardized test scores in mathematics and reading, but this study did not find

any significant difference in science achievement (Tai 2012). This again would suggest that

though PLTW seems to be very effective in improving student achievement in mathematics,

reading, and engineering, there is a lack of data on the improvement in biology.

Summary and Conclusion

In summary, there is not a great deal of peer-reviewed literature discussing PLTW,

largely because it is a fairly new STEM-focused model, however the literature that has been

published is largely positive. Any concerns expressed in the literature do not concern the design

of the PLTW curriculum, the PBL basis, or the positive results shown in student achievement,

but rather funding, teacher training, and laboratory development (Reid and Feldhaus 2007). In

light of the positive impacts PLTW is having on students’ data literacy, scientific

communication, cohesion, motivation, achievement on standardized tests, and college success, it

seems PLTW is very effective. However, one can see that there is a need to investigate the

impact PLTW is having in the high school biology classroom, due to the lack of data available

on this topic.

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Chapter Three: Methodology

Introduction

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a non-profit organization that has designed high school

curriculums in math, engineering, computer science, and biomedical science. PLTW focuses on

giving students the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in future careers in the areas of

science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). A review of the current peer-reviewed

literature showed that PLTW is improving student achievement in high school math and

engineering; however, little research has been done to show if PLTW’s curriculum is improving

student achievement and motivation in high school biology. It is necessary then to design a set of

methods testing the effects of PLTW’s problem-based design on student achievement and

motivation in high school biology.

In this chapter, the researcher will describe the methodology needed to quantitatively

evaluate the effect of PLTW’s biology curriculum on student achievement, and qualitatively

evaluate the effect of PLTW’s biology curriculum on student motivation. This methodology will

include a detailed research design, identification of the sample group and participants, as well as

descriptions of the instruments and materials being used, procedures, and limitations of the

study. These subsequent sections of the chapter will show the plan and preparation of this action

research proposal, so that the research can yield the quantitative and qualitative data that is

necessary determine the effects of PLTW’s biology curriculum on student achievement and

motivation.

Research Design

In order to understand the effectiveness of the PLTW biology module on student

achievement and student motivation, this research proposes an action research plan that

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addresses both the quantitative and qualitative questions of the study. This action research plan

is most appropriate for at least three reasons. It seeks to learn the effectiveness of PLTW’s

biology curriculum in the immediate work environment of the researcher, namely the high school

biology classroom. It occurs in a work environment where the PLTW biology curriculum has not

yet been introduced, but the school is presently partnered with PLTW in math and engineering

curriculums. And lastly, student achievement will be quantitatively measured specifically in the

subject of biology, rather than a more general standardized state test averaging scores in other

areas of science and math.

The quantitative aspect of the study will evaluate the effectiveness of PLTW’s biology

curriculum based on student achievement. Student achievement will be assessed before and after

the introduction of the PLTW module, allowing the researcher to quantitatively compare the

difference between instructional techniques, and determine the statistical significance of the

difference. This is crucial because the results will indicate whether or not PLTW’s biology

curriculum is an effective tool to use in the classroom to improve student achievement. Student’s

understanding is typically tested in both knowledge and application, which are both areas of

learning that PLTW focuses on. Therefore student achievement will be quantitatively evaluated

using student scores on a biology test focusing on the areas of knowledge and application, and

meeting Kentucky State Standards.

The qualitative aspect of the study will evaluate the effectiveness of PLTW’s biology

curriculum based on student motivation. Student motivation will be assessed before and after the

introduction of the PLTW module, allowing the researcher to qualitatively compare the

difference between instructional techniques. This is crucial because the results will indicate

whether or not PLTW’s biology curriculum is an effective tool to use in the classroom to

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motivate students to learn. Student motivation is typically evaluated using a survey asking each

learner to rate his or her level of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. Therefore

student motivation will be qualitatively evaluated using student surveys addressing these four

areas before and after the PLTW curriculum is introduced.

Sampling/Participants

The participants of this study will be two high school biology classroom instructors, and

one group of twelfth grade biology students at a high school in Kentucky partnered with PLTW.

The first classroom instructor for the study will teach in a traditional learning style, namely

lecturing. The second classroom instructor for the study will receive training from PLTW

through the professional development model the organization offers. This training will enable the

second classroom instructor to teach the PLTW biology curriculum. By using two different

instructors, one non-PLTW instructor, and one PLTW instructor, the students will be learning

through a non-PLTW instructional technique, and a PLTW instructional technique, allowing for

a comparison of the two techniques based on student achievement.

The student participants of the study will consist of thirty students, thirteen being female,

and seventeen being male. Of those students, twenty-one will be Caucasian, six will be African-

American, and three will be Asian. This class was chosen for two reasons. This class is the most

culturally diverse group of twelfth grade biology students in the school, and each student in the

class has been assessed to read at or above the twelfth grade reading level. For these reasons, the

sample can be considered to be a general representation of twelfth grade biology students.

Twenty of the students are on free/reduced lunch. The control-group will be the same group of

students prior to the PLTW intervention, and the intervention group will be the same group of

students after the PLTW intervention.

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The school chosen to conduct this research in will be Middlesboro High School in

Middlesboro, KY. This school will be chosen because it currently partners with PLTW in math

and engineering. The researcher has contacted the principal who has expressed interest in

incorporating PLTW’s biology curriculum as well, and has agreed to allow the research to be

conducted. This includes access to the students’ scores on the pre- and post-PLTW intervention

assessment. The school is in a rural area of southeastern Kentucky.

Instruments/Materials

For the quantitative design of the study, the teacher will use the standard PLTW biology

curriculum. Again, this curriculum is grounded in guided-inquiry and problem-based-learning,

helping students to ask questions and then investigate the problem in the laboratory setting. The

high school will first need to have one biology teacher attend the PLTW training in order to learn

how to best incorporate the guided-inquiry and problem-based learning techniques into the

classroom within the PLTW curriculum. Second, the school will utilize the materials provided by

PLTW, including the appropriate video lessons and computer software leading students to ask

questions (guided-inquiry), and introduce the students to a “case-study” or “case scenario”

prompting investigation in the biology laboratory (problem-based learning). This requires a

biology laboratory, and standard laboratory equipment, which the high school already has.

The high school currently uses the PLTW mathematics and engineering curriculum, but

does not use the biology curriculum. The principal will need to be contacted first in order to see

if the PLTW biology curriculum could be incorporated. The broad unit will cover the topic of

Genetics and Biotechnology. This is a unit that covers topics such as the role of DNA, the

genetic information stored in DNA, the role of mutations, and heredity, all of which are part of

the Kentucky Core Content for Science Assessment. The specific PLTW module will focus on

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teaching these concepts within the context of a case-based scenario where students are forensic

scientists solving the mysterious death of a girl named Anna. The quantitative design of the study

requires that scores on a test meeting the State’s core standards be collected pre and post

intervention. The assessment exams will consist of multiple choice questions and short answer

questions testing both knowledge and application of that knowledge to real-world scenarios. The

researcher will work with both classroom instructors to design these questions.

For the qualitative design of the study, the teacher will use the Instructional Materials

Motivation Survey (IMMS) to measure the motivational impact PLTW has on students. This

survey measures attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction, based on student responses. It

consists of 20 questions and can be taken on the computer. Questions will be randomized. This

survey has been show to work effectively in other studies measuring student motivation in

STEM areas (Estapa and Nadolny 2015). The survey will be administered both pre- and post-

intervention, and the score in the areas of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction

compared.

Procedures

As previously discussed, the quantitative data will be the results of scores on a pre- and

post-assessment administered to students. The scores will serve as an indicator of the effect of

PLTW’s biology curriculum on student achievement. The qualitative data will be the results of

the pre- and post-IMMS survey. The rankings will show if students were more attentive,

confident, satisfied, and saw the relevance of the concepts.

Data Collection: The procedure for collecting the qualitative data will consist of first

having the non-PLTW classroom instructor teach the students the unit on genetics and

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biotechnology using a traditional-lecture format. This will take approximately two weeks. At the

end of the second week, the test designed by the teacher and the researcher will be administered

and scored. The test will include questions requiring knowledge as well as application. Though

the test will be scored, students will not be allowed to see the correct answers or the scores

received. The scores on this pre-intervention assessment will serve as the results of the control

group. The individuals’ scores and class average will both serve as the quantitative data. After

completing the exam, the students will take a pre-intervention IMMS survey in the computer lab.

The data of each individual will serve as the results of the control group. This will make up the

pre-intervention results.

During the following two-week period, the PLTW classroom instructor will teach the

students the unit on genetics and biotechnology using the PLTW format. After two weeks, the

students will take a new exam with new questions created by the teacher and the researcher. The

scores on the post-intervention assessment will serve as the results of the intervention group. The

independent variable will be the introduction of the PLTW learning format, and the dependent

variable will be the effect on student achievement and motivation. Scores on the exam will be

recorded for each individual student, and the class average will be recorded as well. After the

exam, the students will take the IMMS survey a second time in the computer lab. This will make

up the post-intervention results.

Data Analysis: The quantitative data measuring student achievement will be analyzed by

looking at the average percent increase of individual students. Pre-intervention scores on the

exam will be compared to post-intervention scores on the second exam. This will be shown in a

bar graph with the x-axis numbered one to thirty, each number representing an individual

student. The y-axis will show the score received, numbering between zero and one-hundered.

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Two bars will appear side by side over the number on the x-axis. The bar on the left will

represent the students’ score on the pre-intervention exam, and the bar on the right will represent

the students’ score on the post-intervention exam. The percent increase or decrease will then be

found for each student. To do this, a similar graph will be used to show the percent increase per

student, where the x-axis will remain the same, but the y-axis will show the percent increase, and

only one bar will appear per student on the x-axis.

The qualitative data will be analyzed by assigning numbers from one to ten for each

category in the survey. Depending upon where students ranked their own level of attention,

confidence, satisfaction, and relevance of the content, each student will receive an assigned

value. A bar graph will be used to compare the percent increase in the students’ motivation based

on this data. The x-axis will show four categories, namely attention, confidence, satisfaction, and

relevance. The y-axis will show the percent increase or decrease in each of these areas. The

overall score will also be compared using a bar graph to show the percent increase or decrease

collectively to represent motivation as a whole. These two bar graphs will show if only certain

areas of motivation improved, or if motivation improved as a whole.

Limitations and Delimitations

One limitation of this study is the small sample size. Such a small sample size cannot be

extrapolated to the larger general population of twelfth grade students. If this study shows

improvement, then a future study should focus on conducting a similar research project on a

larger sample across multiple schools. A second potential limitation is the difference in

classroom instructors. Some students may relate more readily to one instructor over another

based on factors other than the difference in PLTW instruction and non-PLTW instruction. This

could potentially skew the results. A third and final limitation is the nature of self-reporting by

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students on the survey. Unless the scale used in the IMMS clearly defines the intervals relative to

the level of motivation, then the data will likely be skewed. Each student must be in agreement

on what defines “Very much,” or “Somewhat,” when asked to rank ones own attentiveness

during the non-PLTW format, and the PLTW learning format.

Conclusion

The research methodology described above will provide the quantitative data necessary

to determine the effect that the PLTW biology curriculum has on student achievement. The

methodology will also provide the qualitative data necessary to determine the effect that the

PLTW biology curriculum has on student motivation to learn. If the data shows a positive effect

on student achievement and student motivation there will be some evidence to support the claim

that the PLTW biology curriculum improves student achievement and motivation specifically in

the area of biology. However, this research should primarily prompt further research that

investigates the effect the PLTW biology curriculum in a larger sample size, for extended

periods of time, and on a variety of topics in biology. In doing so, the educational system in the

United States can gain a better understanding of how to best provide students with the

knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the future STEM job market.

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