Enhancing Science Terminology among Low-Achieving Bilingual Grade 8 Students through a Multicomponent Intervention: An Action Research Study

Abstract

This article presents the findings of an action research study that investigated the feasibility of using a structured pedagogical approach to enhance Grade 8 low-achieving bilingual students’ knowledge of English scientific technical terms (STTs) in a rural secondary school in Sri Lanka. A mixed-methods action research design was employed with ten purposively selected students over six intervention sessions focusing on Grade 8 Biology content. A multimodal, multicomponent intervention was implemented, integrating bilingual glossary support, visual representations, short video segments, guided collaborative learning, Frayer Model-based activities, and gamified learning to address language barriers and promote conceptual understanding. Data were collected through pre-tests, formative assessments, post-tests, student feedback forms, classroom observation notes, and a reflective teaching journal. The quantitative findings demonstrated a substantial improvement in students’ knowledge of scientific technical terminology. The mean score increased from 28.20 (SD = 4.04) in the pre-test to 64.20 (SD = 5.77) in the post-test. A paired-samples t-test confirmed that this improvement was statistically significant, t(9) = 15.02, p < .001, with a Cohen’s d of 4.74, indicating an extremely large effect size. Formative assessment results also demonstrated a progressive improvement in students’ performance across the six intervention sessions. Qualitative findings complemented the quantitative results, revealing increased student engagement, confidence, willingness to participate, and use of scientific technical terminology. However, some students continued to experience difficulties with abstract and complex biological concepts, suggesting that vocabulary development alone may not be sufficient to ensure deeper conceptual understanding. The study concludes that explicit, linguistically responsive, multimodal, and collaborative instruction of scientific technical terminology can help bilingual learners overcome an important linguistic barrier to science learning. The findings further demonstrate the potential of classroom-based action research to generate practical, context-sensitive pedagogical solutions for supporting low achieving bilingual learners in science education.