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The study used a mixed-method design using both qualitative and quantitative measures. The quantitative methods used a quasi-experimental design, whereas the qualitative methods focused on naturalistic inquiry and content analysis. Testing for the null hypotheses generated by the research questions justified the use of quantitative methods, whereas understanding the nature of the interactions between students and teachers called for extensive qualitative data collection tools.
Students in each seventh-grade class represented a group, and each intact group was purposively selected and randomly assigned to the treatment. One group served as the experimental group, whereas the other was treated as the control group. Two teachers instructed one –seventh-grade class period using the experimental or control treatment in the same content area. The curriculum used in the control group was labeled as the traditional curriculum (inform, verify, and practice) and was guided by the district-adopted textbook. The Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP) was categorized as the contextualized curriculum and was used with the experimental group. SEPUP was developed by the University of California; it integrates activities and investigations related to issues and themes. The experimental group received the contextualized curriculum design and the control group received the traditional curriculum design for a period of nine weeks, five days a week, for 45 minutes each day for each group.
Data Collection and Analysis
The quantitative methods using quasi-experimental design employed the pre- and posttest k group design with a control and an experimental group. Curriculum design (traditional versus contextualized curriculum) was categorized as the independent variable, whereas content knowledge (student performance/test scores on an achievement test), students' attitude (scores on the attitude scale), and student engagement in the class were established as the three dependent variables. A pretest on content acquisition and the Science Attitude Scale for Middle School Students was conducted at the beginning of the study for both groups. Descriptive