Teaching Kinematics to ELL Students: A Phenomenological Study
This paper presents a phenomenological assessment of three instructional methods — visual learning, mathematical manipulation, and role-play — used to teach introductory kinematics to 11th-grade Hispanic English language learners (ELLs) with no prior physics knowledge. The teacher-researcher employed pre- and post-trial testing, direct classroom observation using Likert scaling, and student interviews to measure comprehension, enthusiasm, and conceptual understanding. Results showed cumulative test scores rising from 0% to approximately 79%, with each method contributing incremental gains. The study concludes that a mixed-method approach combining visual, mathematical, and role-play strategies produces the strongest outcomes for ELL students learning kinematics.
- Introduction: Rationale for multi-method kinematics instruction for ELLs
- Context and Focus of the Study: Student demographics, prior knowledge gaps, and instructional goals
- Literature Review: Learning styles research supporting differentiated instruction
- Research Design and Data Sources: Phenomenological design, testing, observation, and interview instruments
- Assessment Results and Findings: Test score gains and learning outcomes across three methods
- Data Summary and Student Responses: Raw data tables and verbatim student interview responses
- Future Plans and Recommendations: Scaling the approach and advancing to higher-level kinematics
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What makes this paper effective
- The teacher-as-researcher design gives the study an authentic insider perspective, grounding observations in direct classroom experience rather than abstracted theory.
- Combining qualitative (observation, interview) and quantitative (test scores, Likert scaling) data strengthens the phenomenological framework and supports triangulation of findings.
- Student interview quotations are included verbatim, preserving the authentic ELL voice and making the findings vivid and credible.
- The literature review connects directly to the instructional choices made, showing how theories of learning styles informed the three-method approach.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates eidetic reduction within a phenomenological framework — a technique drawn from Lin (2013) in which the researcher strips away irrelevant data to identify essential patterns in student engagement. This is paired with Likert scaling to give qualitative observation a semi-quantitative structure, showing how action research can blend interpretive and measurement-based approaches.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an abstract summary, then moves through context, a focused research question, and a three-source literature review. The methodology section explains observational, interview, and testing instruments. Results are organized by method and by type of learning outcome (scores, understanding, conceptual growth). A verbal and raw-data summary precede a brief connection back to the research question. The paper closes with forward-looking implementation plans and a full reference list.
Introduction
Understanding physics concepts is a difficult task for most science students in general (Hake, 1998). This may be due to misconception, limited prior knowledge, or language barriers. The students in this school possessed limited prior knowledge and were further impacted by language barriers. To address this issue, it is relevant to assess the impact of instructional methods: if the teacher comes into the classroom with the same type of planning, the same strategies, the same questions, and the same evaluation techniques, students may disengage. Learners need to be engaged through different modes of representation of the same concept. This principle is also intended to help learners internalize abstract concepts by engaging more than one sense at a time (Sharma, 2006).
This study aims to discover effective methods of teaching English language learners (ELLs) the basics of kinematics in an introductory physics course. Students were selected from a purposive sample with no incoming knowledge of kinematics and limited English language skills. Three instructional methods were employed — visual learning, mathematical learning, and role-play learning — and assessed in a phenomenological manner using both qualitative and quantitative data. Results were measured through direct observation, student interviews, and test scores.
Context and Focus of the Study
The students assessed are 100% Hispanic, 11th-grade ELL (English Language Learner) students. The strongest students from 11th grade were selected for this study. They have functional English but are limited in conversational fluency — which is part of the reason visual, mathematical, and role-play methods were chosen to support comprehension. Students are weak in math and science, with an average of 70% on state assessments. They had never studied physics prior to this intervention. Instruction was conducted during after-school and Saturday school sessions devoted to physics and kinematics.
The instructional focus involved three strategies: mathematical manipulation of equations, role-play using toy cars, and visual presentation using Smart Notebook software (similar to PowerPoint). Pre-test assessments were used to diagnose prior knowledge, and every student failed the pre-trial test — an expected outcome given that none had prior exposure to the subject.
Instruction then proceeded using the three methods in combination. The mathematical component emphasized connecting the four standard kinematics equations through derivation, so that students would only need to internalize two foundational equations — Distance = Average Velocity × Time and Acceleration = Change in Velocity / Change in Time — and derive the remaining equations from these two. This approach was designed to reduce the memorization burden and build conceptual understanding.
Research Question
The question this study aims to answer is: Will ELL students learn kinematics through mathematics, role-play, and visual representations?
Literature Review
Lopez, Rodriguez, Esteban et al. (2013) demonstrate how students achieve academic success by learning in their own style. The researchers suggest that students should devote themselves to reflective, theory-based learning methods. Students who do not succeed often engage superficially and do not challenge themselves to learn new concepts. The researchers found that when academic failure occurs, it is frequently because students are not employing a learning style well-suited to their strengths or are not engaging fully with the material. This research supports the rationale for using multiple methods with ELL students: varied instructional approaches increase the likelihood that each student will encounter a mode of representation that fits his or her learning orientation. The study asserts that "training guidance" can be helpful in directing students toward methods that improve their ability to master classroom concepts and build upon prior learning (p. 1361).
Tough (2012) corroborates this finding, arguing that students need to be challenged in order to succeed. Without meaningful challenge, students will not push themselves and may remain stagnant or regress. Tough contends that students must harness their inherent determination to grapple with unfamiliar ideas, and must develop character and resolve to engage with concepts that are foreign to them. The teacher, in this view, should not hesitate to push students to explore their range and should remain open to challenging them in varied ways to observe how they respond.
Boyle, Duffy, and Dunleavy (2003) focus on the pathways through which students learn, identifying four types: reproduction-learning (memorizing and reproducing correct answers), application-learning (learning principles and applying them to problems), undirected-learning (exposing the student to various approaches and allowing self-directed engagement), and meaning-directed learning (identifying meanings and concepts). Their research found that undirected learning produced the fewest obstacles to learning, while meaning-directed learning did not have a strong positive impact on success. The researchers conclude that a student's success depends on finding the learning approach that fits him or her best, and they recommend giving students choices and supporting them with encouragement throughout the process.
Taken together, these studies support a differentiated, multi-method instructional approach for ELL students engaging with abstract science content for the first time.
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