Dialogic Considerations of the Discrepancies Between Teachers' Perceptions and Practices in Science Instruction

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Dialogue, Discourse, and Language in Science Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how middle school science teachers’ perceptions of language systems might impact their discourse and inquiry practices in the classroom. Although current research suggests that using more dialogic strategies may positively impact student conceptual and reasoning skills, teachers’ practices remains primarily based on traditional IRE methods. Using Sutton’s (1996) description of interpretive and labelling language systems in science education, the findings suggest that a similar contrariety exists between teachers’ pedagogical perceptions and instructional practices. The study recommends attending to teachers’ understanding of the necessary tension between language systems as a starting point for building a dialogic awareness as a means of alleviating this discrepancy within science education instruction.

Author

• Jeffry King, Texas State University