This paper reports a study of selected examples of verbal behavior patterns in primary grade classrooms during science activities. The subjects were 32 elementary teachers within five mid-Michigan public school districts. A control group of 16 teachers taught science in the conventional manner. The experimental group received an in-depth study of…

Using interaction analysis, studied the classroom verbal interactions of three types of elementary science classes: not using a process-promoting curriculum; using a process-promoting curriculum, with or without a consultant. Among the findings was that teachers who interacted with a consultant were more indirect in their teaching. (MLH)

Compared with teachers of "conventional" science courses, teachers who attended a summer workshop and then taught Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) materials tended to increase the amount of indirect verbal influence used at the beginning of the school year, becoming more direct later, and asking more high-level questions (hypothesizing…

The Instrument for the Analysis of Science Teaching was used to evaluate verbal behavior of teacher trainees instructing pairs of students in each of two science concepts. The greatest differences in teacher behavior was due to differences between students, not differences in science content. (AL)

Described is the development of an observation instrument that is designed to give a measure of the overall teaching strategy or style used by a teacher including both verbal and non-verbal interactions between teachers, students, and the physical materials which constitute the classroom environment. The instrument was developed to give a single…