Orchestrating inquiry-based science learning in the classroom is a complex undertaking. It requires fitting the culture of the classroom with the teacher's teaching and inquiry practices. To understand the interactions between these variables in relation to student learning, we conducted an investigation in two different classroom settings to…

Subjects (N=41) were randomly assigned to one of two groups defined by the teacher's clarity in a genetics lesson: low-clarity versus high-clarity. Subjects rated lesson presentation and completed a test on content. The high-clarity group perceived lessons as significantly clearer and achieved more than the low-clarity group. (DS)

The two-phase study was designed to (1) create a means whereby preservice teachers could lengthen the time they allow for a student to respond after posing a question; and (2) to study the relationship of want-time as an independent variable and dialogue measure, as a dependent variable. (RE)