Integrating Science and Mathematics Education: Historical Analysis

Overview & Synopsis

A number of national science and mathematics education professional associations, and recently technology education associations, are united in their support for the integration of science and mathematics teaching and learning. The purpose of this historical analysis is two-fold: (a) to survey the nature and number of documents related to integrated science and mathematics education published from 1901 through 2001 and (b) to compare the nature and number of integrated science and mathematics documents published from 1990 through 2001 to the previous 89 years (1901-1989). Based upon this historical analysis, three conclusions have emerged. First, national and state standards in science and mathematics education have resulted in greater attention to integrated science and mathematics education, particularly in the area of teacher education, as evidenced by the proliferation of documents on this topic published from 1901-2001. Second, the historical comparison between the time periods of 1901-1989 versus 1990-2001 reveals a grade-level shift in integrated instructional documents. Middle school science continues to be highlighted in integrated instructional documents, but surprisingly, a greater emphasis upon secondary mathematics and science education is apparent in the integration literature published from 1990-2001. Third, although several theoretical integration models have been posited in the literature published from 1990-2001, more empirical research grounded in these theoretical models is clearly needed in the 21st century.