An exploratory study of teachers’ metalanguage use to support student writing in science: Foregrounding the science-language connections

Abstract

This study explores teachers’ use of metalanguage in science classroom talk that supports students’ science writing. Metalanguage was introduced to science teachers as part of a collaborative researcher-teacher inquiry into student writing. Seventeen lessons taught by three teachers were analyzed for the types of metalanguage used in their lessons and the science-language connections foregrounded by each type. The analysis highlights metalanguage as a resource for talking about the demands of science writing and reveals four distinct types of metalanguage adopted by the teachers in their instruction: grammar, content, genre, and science discourse conventions. Science-language connections are illustrated by the various levels of language and aspects of science foregrounded by the various types of metalanguage. Implications on the pedagogical use of metalanguage and professional learning of science teachers are discussed.