Research Overview

This research focuses on the intersection of STEM education and second language acquisition, specifically within middle school science contexts. By investigating invention-oriented curricula, writing-to-learn strategies, and translanguaging practices, these studies demonstrate how culturally relevant instruction can empower bicultural students. The work advocates for a holistic approach where students’ home cultures and linguistic repertoires are treated as assets in mastering complex scientific concepts and practices.

Culturally Relevant & Invention-Based Learning

• English Learners’ Science-Literacy Practice through Explicit Writing Instruction (2020) Investigates how explicit instruction in scientific writing, embedded within invention-based tasks, supports the development of technical literacy for English learners.
• Bicultural Middle School Students’ Learning in a Culturally Relevant Science Classroom (2018) Explores how middle schoolers from diverse backgrounds engage with science when the curriculum intentionally mirrors their cultural identities and lived experiences.
• Culturally Relevant Science: Incorporating Visualizations and Home Culture (2016) Analyzes the impact of using visual aids and home-culture connections within an invention-oriented curriculum to foster deeper scientific engagement.

Science-Literacy & Writing Strategies

• Empowering Diverse Learners: Integrating Writing-to-Learn Strategies in Science (2021)
  Examines how informal writing tasks help students process scientific information, allowing them to bridge the gap between everyday language and academic discourse.

Translanguaging & Project-Based Science

• Spanish-Speaking Emergent Bilingual Students’ Translanguaging Experiences (2022)
  Documents how bilingual students fluidly use their full linguistic repertoire (Spanish and English) to navigate complex inquiry-based science lessons.
• Heat Reinvented: Using a Lunch Box-Design Project to Apply Multidisciplinary Knowledge (2021)
  Evaluates a project-based learning unit where students apply thermal physics and engineering design to solve a real-world problem: keeping their lunch warm.