Interest in Dialogic and Non-Dialogic Teacher Talk Situations in Middle School Science Classroom

AbstractPrevious research has shown that dialogic teacher talk not only supports students’ understanding but also raises their interest. However, there is little, if any, research on the connection between dialogic talk and student interest in classroom situations. To investigate this connection, we collected video observations and experience sampling data. In total, 87 middle school students aged 14 to 16 participated in the study. Data were collected from the classes of six science teachers, and three lessons were video recorded in each teacher’s classroom. During the lessons, students were asked several times to express their interest in the situation through the experience sampling method (ESM). The measurements took place in situations where the teacher either talked with the students or talked to the whole group of students. The talk situations were categorised as dialogic or non-dialogic, based on the video recording. On a five-point scale of interest, the median value was 3.3 in non-dialogic talk situations and 3.5 in dialogic talk situations. We hypothesised that students’ interest would be higher in dialogic talk situations than in non-dialogic talk situations. The hypothesis was tested with a related samples Wilcoxon signed rank test, and the results supported the hypothesis (Z = − 2.62; p < 0.05). The results suggest that dialogic talk may trigger students’ interest in science learning.

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The Evolution of Drawing as an Equitable Way to Assess ELLs in a Middle School Science Classroom

Handbook of Research on Advancing Language Equity Practices With Immigrant Communities - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-3448-9.ch008 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 142-159

Author(s):

Amanda M. Latimer ◽

Martha E. Monreal

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Science Classroom ◽

School Science ◽

Middle School Science ◽

Science Content ◽

Implementation Barriers ◽

School Students ◽

Ell Students ◽

Content Understanding ◽

Science Assessments

In this chapter, the authors discuss what they observed and learned as drawing was integrated into assessments already in use in a middle school science classroom. Informed by a growing body of evidence that supports the notion that allowing students to draw answers on assessments disrupts normative assessment practices, promoting more equitable assessments for ELLs. Their overall goal was to add to the understanding of how drawing can provide a more complete picture of ELL students science content understanding. This chapter begins with the historical importance of drawing in science, and then the intersection of ELLs, drawing, science, and assessment, followed by a description of how drawing was adapted into middle school science assessments. Examples of how middle school students responded to prompts to draw answers on assessments are included followed by implementation barriers that were confronted by their teachers. The authors then conclude this chapter with a discussion focusing on recommendations to fellow teachers.

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The Nutrition Education Initiative Resource Guide

Californian Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.32398/cjhp.v12i1.1551 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 01-15

Author(s):

Penny A. Ralston ◽

Bonnie Greenwood ◽

Thomas Cornille ◽

Linda L. Brown ◽

Dykibra Gaskin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Science Teachers ◽

Eating Behaviors ◽

School Science ◽

School Students ◽

Resource Guide ◽

Middle School Science Teachers ◽

Education Initiative

Background and Purpose: With obesity in children and youth continuing to be a major health problem in the U.S., schools are considered an important setting to implement programs to address the issue but few have focused on middle school students. The purposes of this study were to: 1) determine the effectiveness of a school-based nutrition education program, the Nutrition Education Initiative (NEI) Resource Guide, in improving school lunch eating behaviors of middle school students, and 2) identify science teachers’ perceptions of the materials. Implementation: The project was implemented by 16 middle school science teachers and 309 seventh grade students in a medium-sized north Florida community. The NEI Guide included three conceptual areas (Build a Healthy Base, Choose Sensibly and Aim for Fitness), major concepts, objectives, narrative information, and teaching strategies. Evaluation: Using a pre-/post without control group design, the study involved collecting data via food recall surveys with students, and surveys and interviews with teachers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-tests. Results: During lunch time, a higher proportion of students met the recommended dietary servings for dairy, meat, vegetables, fruit, juice and grains from pre-test to post-test. Students also significantly increased dietary intake of meat (p< .01), fruit (p< .01) and fruit/juice combined (p< .05); and significantly decreased intake of fried vegetables (p< .001), with decreased fat intake approaching significance (p< .06). Differences in dietary patterns were noted between the two schools studied. Science teachers perceived the NEI Guide as effective; yet they also identified challenges including lack of adequate training, lack of time to implement the materials, and lack of collaboration with the project team. Conclusion: The project outcomes suggest that middle school science teachers can positively impact school lunch eating behaviors of middle school students in selected schools by incorporating nutrition education in their curricula.

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Constructing Meaning and Engaging Learners Through Digital Tools and Practices Within the Middle Level Science Classroom

Handbook of Research on Innovative Digital Practices to Engage Learners - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-9438-3.ch004 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 68-99

Author(s):

Christine Anne Royce ◽

Susan German

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Science Teachers ◽

Science Classroom ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Middle Level ◽

Digital Tools ◽

School Students ◽

Instructional Process ◽

Challenges And Opportunities ◽

Constructing Meaning

With the continued growth of digital tools and practices, the manner in which instruction is planned and delivered within a middle-level classroom will need to evolve. Science educators have often been in the forefront of technology inclusion. With the current expectations of three-dimensional learning promoted within the Next Generation Science Standards, teachers have additional opportunities for students to utilize digital tools and practices during their instructional process. Through the utilization of carefully selected digital tools and practices, science teachers can engage learners and better assist them in constructing meaning through three-dimensional learning. The authors focus on the intersection of three areas: how middle school students make sense of content and develop understanding, the utilization of strategies for designing and creating a middle school classroom around digital practices, and the challenges and opportunities that this instructional shift encounters.

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Development and Evaluation of an Augmented Reality Microscope for Science Learning: A Design-Based Research

International Journal of Technology in Education ◽

10.46328/ijte.88 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 708-728

Author(s):

Mustafa Serkan Abdusselam ◽

Selcan Kilis

Keyword(s):

Middle School ◽

Middle School Students ◽

Augmented Reality ◽

Science Teachers ◽

Learning Experience ◽

School Science ◽

School Students ◽

Design Based Research ◽

Design Changes ◽

Augmented Reality Technology

This study aims to develop and evaluate an augmented reality microscope, “MicrosAR”, for a middle school Science course, which was aimed for use both in and out of school, and to understand the users’ perceptions about it. The study adopted design-based research to iteratively develop and evaluate the MicrosAR. Learning activities and working handouts in the application were grounded upon inquiry-based learning. The initial prototype was evaluated with 99 middle school students, as well as 18 preservice and six experienced in-service science teachers. The second prototype was then evaluated with 96 different middle school students. Accordingly, design changes were applied to the second prototype to present the final product development. Participants’ experiences and perceptions were gathered through a self-developed, paper-based instrument after they practiced with the MicrosAR. The findings indicated that the MicrosAR was favored by and recognized as an effective and useful tool by the participants. The study highlighted the benefits that augmented reality technology and such an application can offer for learning purposes, and that it can be practiced at any place to deliver a “real” learning experience over virtual platforms, thereby saving costs, enhancing its availability, and improved learner interest.

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