Engaging middle school Latino students in science learning using soccer activities

Abstract

The Latino/a population has increased in Georgia and contiguous states in the past 30 years, which has changed the social dynamics in Prek‑12 education (Maxwell, 2015). As part of the Latino/a heritage, many Latino/a students are passionate about soccer and devote important time to playing this game, watching international soccer leagues and other activities, often with family members and close friends. Researchers on the effects of youth participation in sports (Team Up for Youth, 2009) have argued that sports can engage students with the task of learning as they make connections to other students and caring adults. In this presentation, I show how educators can develop culturally significant practices that trigger the Latino students’ interest and engage them in participating in science/soccer activities. Drawing on sociohistorical analysis (De Landa, 2006) and assemblage theory (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987), theories that encourage experimentation considering different organization of elements, I co-developed a set of five soccer with science activities with a middle school science teacher and two university researchers. For these soccer and science activities, I use a modified structure of the science assessments developed by the Language‑rich Inquiry Science with English Language Learners (LISELL) project, a National Science Foundation funded project. A total of 20 Latino students from a local middle school participated in five soccer and science activities to promote and support the teaching and learning of the language of science investigation practices using English and Spanish. These five activities showed that soccer is a powerful tool that offered teachers and students possibilities for learning and engaging in science. I conclude with a set of recommendations for science teachers and researchers to explore learning activities based on the soccer and science relationship.