Interdisciplinary English-Science Curriculum and the Development of English Proficiency and Scientific Inquiry Skills among Primary School Students: A Mixed-Methods Action Research Study

HRMARS - This study examined whether an interdisciplinary English-science curriculum could improve primary school students' English proficiency and scientific inquiry skills while identifying practical challenges associated with implementation. A mixed-methods action research design was adopted across three urban primary schools in Xi'an. The quantitative strand used a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design involving 300 students: 150 students in experimental classes and 150 students in control classes. Experimental classes received interdisciplinary teaching that connected English language use with scientific concepts, inquiry tasks, experimental design, and data analysis, whereas control classes continued with traditional English and science instruction. Paired-sample t-tests were used to evaluate within-group changes. The experimental groups showed substantial gains in English scores across the three schools, increasing from 72.3 to 85.2, 71.9 to 84.5, and 73.4 to 83.8, respectively (t = 12.67-14.12, p = .001). Scientific inquiry scores also increased from 73.5 to 87.1, 72.0 to 86.2, and 73.2 to 85.4 (t = 13.34-15.20, p = .001). Improvements in control classes were much smaller. Qualitative analysis of teacher interviews, classroom observations, and student reflection logs identified three implementation themes: the importance of cross-subject teacher collaboration, constraints in teaching resources and planning time, and strong student engagement with authentic real-world tasks. Students generally reported greater interest and perceived relevance, although some experienced difficulty balancing English language demands with scientific content. The findings suggest that carefully designed interdisciplinary curriculum can simultaneously strengthen language application and scientific inquiry, but sustainable implementation requires structured collaboration, appropriate scaffolding, and institutional resource support.