Measuring Scientific Classroom Discourse: The 'DiISC Version 2.0's' Validity and Use in Observing Secondary Science Lessons
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| Title: | Measuring Scientific Classroom Discourse: The 'DiISC Version 2.0's' Validity and Use in Observing Secondary Science Lessons |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Elizabeth Lewis (ORCID |
| Source: | School Science and Mathematics. 2026 126(2):143-158. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 16 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) |
| Contract Number: | 1540797 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Science Education, Science Instruction, Teaching Methods, Secondary School Science, Discussion (Teaching Technique), Science Teachers, Inquiry, Discourse Analysis, Measures (Individuals), Discourse Communities, Student Evaluation, Oral Language, Written Language, Factor Structure, Test Validity, Academic Language |
| DOI: | 10.1111/ssm.18325 |
| ISSN: | 0036-6803 1949-8594 |
| Abstract: | To continue to support long-term, ongoing science curriculum and instruction reform efforts in the United States, there is a significant need to be able to reliably measure teachers' discourse-rich, inquiry-based instruction. In this external validation study, we present the "Discourse in Inquiry Science Classrooms Version 2.0" (DiISC 2.0) as a valuable observational instrument for researchers to investigate multiple aspects of science teachers' lessons. The DiISC 2.0 is grounded in a research-based conceptual framework of a scientific classroom discourse community, focused on fundamental socioconstructivist characteristics of lessons, including scientific inquiry, oral and written discourse, and academic language development. We collected and analyzed new data from 807 science lessons to develop and expand the instrument's original validity argument beyond the associated professional development program for broader use. We determined the DiISC's factor structure and examined its correlation with the "Electronic Quality of Inquiry Protocol." Finally, some items that did not represent DiISC constructs were removed. Thus, the "DiISC 2.0" instrument can be used to measure students' opportunities to learn science and provide feedback to teachers on their progress toward building an inclusive scientific classroom discourse community for all students, in particular, historically marginalized groups and multilingual learners. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1502629 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | To continue to support long-term, ongoing science curriculum and instruction reform efforts in the United States, there is a significant need to be able to reliably measure teachers' discourse-rich, inquiry-based instruction. In this external validation study, we present the "Discourse in Inquiry Science Classrooms Version 2.0" (DiISC 2.0) as a valuable observational instrument for researchers to investigate multiple aspects of science teachers' lessons. The DiISC 2.0 is grounded in a research-based conceptual framework of a scientific classroom discourse community, focused on fundamental socioconstructivist characteristics of lessons, including scientific inquiry, oral and written discourse, and academic language development. We collected and analyzed new data from 807 science lessons to develop and expand the instrument's original validity argument beyond the associated professional development program for broader use. We determined the DiISC's factor structure and examined its correlation with the "Electronic Quality of Inquiry Protocol." Finally, some items that did not represent DiISC constructs were removed. Thus, the "DiISC 2.0" instrument can be used to measure students' opportunities to learn science and provide feedback to teachers on their progress toward building an inclusive scientific classroom discourse community for all students, in particular, historically marginalized groups and multilingual learners. |
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| ISSN: | 0036-6803 1949-8594 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/ssm.18325 |
