Teaching Assistants' Talk Moves During Elicitation Discussions: Examining Adjacency Pairs in an Undergraduate Biology Laboratory

• In Event: Equity in Science Within Higher Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe what talk moves teaching assistants (TAs) use during elicitation discussions and analyze how talk moves elicit student ideas. Examining the coupled relationships between TA talk moves and student explanatory rigor, through adjacency pairs, has not been previously studied at the post-secondary level. A mixed-methods design was employed to describe patterns of paired units in TA talk moves and rigor levels of student contributions during elicitation discussions. Results show that within adjacency pairs of talk turns, TA talk moves have direct influences on the rigor of student talk. Findings from this study provide insight into how novice TAs use talk moves, which inform what kinds of professional development support they need to succeed.

Authors

• Evan Barnes, Westmont College

• Anna Strimaitis Grinath, Idaho State University

• Ron Gray, Northern Arizona University