Explanatory Modeling in Science Through Text-Based Investigation - Testing the Efficacy of the Project READI Intervention Approach

Oct 15, 2026

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Explanatory Modeling in Science Through Text-Based Investigation evaluates the effectiveness of Project READI, a semester-long, randomized controlled intervention designed for ninth-grade science students. The study tests whether students using text-based investigation to build explanatory models outperform peers in control classes on comprehension and transfer to untrained biological modeling tasks. It also examines how the intervention changes teachers’ instructional practices using multilevel modeling controlling for prior individual and school differences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages69

Reading Time2 h 54 min

AccessFree to download

Project READI intervention study

Research questions and outcomes

Instructor practice impact

Keywords and authors’ research focus

American Educational Research Journal August 2019, Vol. 56, No. 4, pp. 1148–1216 DOI: 10.3102/0002831219831041 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions) 􀀂 2019 AERA. [http://aerj](http://aerj).[aera.net](aera.net) Explanatory Modeling in Science Through Text-Based Investigation: Testing the Efficacy of the Project READI Intervention Approach Susan R. Goldman University of Illinois at Chicago Cynthia Greenleaf WestEd, Strategic Literacy Initiative Mariya Yukhymenko-Lescroart University of Illinois at Chicago California State University, Fresno Willard Brown WestEd, Strategic Literacy Initiative Mon-Lin Monica Ko University of Illinois at Chicago Julia M. Emig University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois State University, Normal MariAnne George University of Illinois at Chicago Patricia Wallace Dylan Blaum M. Anne Britt Northern Illinois University Project READI This article reports the results of a randomized control trial of a semesterlong intervention designed to promote ninth-grade science students’ use of text-based investigation to create explanatory models of biological phenomena. The main research question was whether the student participants in the intervention outperformed the students in the control classes, as assessed by several measures of comprehension and application of information to modeling biological phenomena not covered in the instruction. A second research question examined the impact on the instructional practices of the teachers who implemented the intervention. Multilevel modeling of outcome measures, controlling for preexisting differences at individual and school levels, indicated significant effects on the intervention students and Text-Based Explanatory Modeling in Science SUSAN R. GOLDMAN is Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Psychology, and Education and co-director of the Learning Sciences Research Institute, University of Illinois at Chicago (MC 057), 1240 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60607-7137; e-mail: [sgoldman@uic.edu](sgoldman@uic.edu. Her)[. Her](sgoldman@uic.edu. Her) research focuses on literacy demands in different academic disciplines and their implications for teachers learning to support learning, especially in adolescents. She served as the Principal Investigator for Project READI. CYNTHIA GREENLEAF is co-director of the Strategic Literacy Initiative at WestEd. Her research interests include professional development design, academic literacy development for underprepared youth and adults, and discipline-specific literacy practices. She served as co–principal investigator in Project READI and led the READI science and professional development design teams. MARIYA YUKHYMENKO-LESCROART is assistant professor of research and statistics in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at California State University, Fresno, where she teaches classes on statistics, research design, measurement, and program evaluation. Her research focuses on the substantive-methodological synergy. WILLARD BROWN is senior program associate at the Strategic Literacy Initiative at WestEd. He holds a PhD in chemistry. His work focuses on disciplinary literacy in science and teacher-researcher partnerships. MON-LIN MONICA KO is a visiting research assistant professor at the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She engages in research and codesign work with teachers to promote teacher learning and student engagement around puzzling phenomena and complex science problems. A former high school biology teacher, she holds a PhD in learning sciences. JULIA M. EMIG is an instructional assistant professor in the College of Teaching and Learning at Illinois State University. She focuses on issues related to the relationship between academic research, educational leadership, and teacher practice. She served as the READI school site coordinator. MARIANNE GEORGE is a project

FAQs

What intervention does the study evaluate?

The study evaluates Project READI, a semester-long intervention that promotes ninth-grade science students’ use of text-based investigation to create explanatory models of biological phenomena.

How did the researchers assess student learning?

Student outcomes were assessed with several measures of comprehension and their application of information to modeling biological phenomena not covered in the instruction.

Does the study focus on teacher instructional practices as well?

Yes. A second research question examines the impact on teachers’ instructional practices who implemented the intervention, analyzed alongside student outcomes using multilevel modeling.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanford