Coding Teachers in Science Classrooms using the Inquiry Science Observation Guide

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Coding Teachers in Science Classrooms using the
Inquiry Science Observation Guide

• Alice K. H. Taum
• Curriculum Research Development
  GroupUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa

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Inquiry Science Observation Guide

• Introduction and Overview
• FAST, SCUP Project, Purpose and Development of
  ISOG
• General coding guidelines
• Descriptions for each of the six Activities
• Definitions of Activity details

• Code Sheet
• Recording Sheet
• Reconciling Recording Sheet

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Development of the Code Sheet

• 1.5 year process
• Collaborative efforts between researchers at the
  University of Hawaii at Manoa, Stanford
  University and Sonoma State University FAST
  teachers curriculum developers, and coders
• 36 revisions

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Goal of the Code Sheet

• Identify strings of activities/teacher behaviors
  using the details in columns A, B, C and D.
• questioning strategies used
• level of engagement between teacher and students
• creating a profile of teachers implementation of
  FAST in the classroom through science inquiry

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Design of the Code Sheet

• 6 activities.
• 66 possible activity details to plug into the 6
  activities.
• Multiple variations between an activity and the
  activity details which describe an activity
  string of teachers pedagogical practices.

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1. Teacher directs student(s) _____A_______
to _____B_____ _____C_____.
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1. Teacher directs student(s) _____A_____ to
_____B______ _____C_____.
1. Teacher directs student(s) individually (1A1)
to discuss (1B2) procedures (1C3).
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Inquiry Science Observation Recording Sheet

• Notes the start time of when the broader and
  other activities a teacher is engaged in begins
• Allows for comments to facilitate the
  reconciliation process
• Designed to record multiple activities occurring
  at the same time

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Broader and Other Activities

• The broader activity captures the larger activity
  occurring
• Through interactive questioning (2A2b), the
  teacher introduces or provides an overview of
  (2B1) science investigation (2C4).
• The other activities capture the details
  occurring within the broader activity
• Teacher questions students through clarifying
  (3A1a) questioning and responds to student
  comment (3B1) by repeating (3C2) the comment and
  probing further (3C6).

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Reconciling Codes

• Two coders are paired to compare their
  independent codings, identifying any differences
  between them.
• Differences are then discussed and each coder
  provides a rationale for his or her selected
  code.
• When necessary, a review of the DVD is conducted
  by the paired coders.
• Coding differences are discussed until consensus
  is reached between coders.

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Inquiry Science Observation Reconciling Code
Sheet
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Challenges

• greatest challenges
• establishing universal definitions for terms and
  phrases
• What constitutes a procedure?
• What is the difference between a science term
  and a science concept?
• standardizing the recording of activity strings
  using the Recording Sheet
• broader verses other activities
• focusing on the teacher, rather than on the
  students

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What Next?

• To date we have
• videotaped 15 teachers
• 140 videotape cassettes have been digitized to
  DVDs
• 116 have been quality-checked for audio clarity
  and teacher visibility and
• 8 coders are trained and ready to begin coding!