Applying the ambitious science teaching framework in undergraduate biology: Responsive talk moves that support explanatory rigor

Abstract

AbstractOrchestrating opportunities for students to engage in scientific talk in the classroom is challenging for most teachers and even more so for novice teaching assistants (TAs) who typically instruct introductory science laboratories at the postsecondary level. This study was designed to understand how TA moves are related to instances of scientific discourse in the classroom (meaning discourse that includes a high degree of explanatory rigor). For this, we examined the enactment of a planned “elicitation discussion” that took place in 26 sections of a general biology laboratory for nonscience majors. Our research was driven by two‐related questions: What patterns of discourse emerged? What TA discursive moves were related to high levels of explanatory rigor in student talk? Using conversation analysis, four distinct patterns of discourse were identified, each representing different levels of explanatory rigor. Regression analysis revealed that the type of question the TA used to initiate classroom talk was not significantly related to the students’ explanatory rigor. Rather, the most important aspect of TA talk for elevating the explanatory rigor of student discourse was TA responses to student contributions to TA's initiating questions. The implications of these findings for TA professional development are discussed.