Identification-interpretation/evaluation-response: a framework for analyzing classroom-based teacher discourse in science

The first aim of this study was to contribute to a growing body of research in teacher-student classroom discourse, by describing, in detail, the discourse “moves” of a teacher during science conversations. Our second aim was to develop an enriched analytic framework that can account for the context, the content and the purpose of the discourse moves identified, arguing for a shift of attention in research toward the process of deciding which discourse move to use, rather than solely their description. We analyzed a total of 930 minutes of whole-class conversations facilitated by an experienced science teacher over two years of elementary science lessons. The findings revealed a repertoire of discourse moves that the teacher chose from during instruction based on the context and the epistemological properties of the student discourse content, supporting our contention for the need of a framework that can describe the nature of those choices.