A comparison of elementary teachers' verbal supports for students in inclusive and general classroom contexts during an NGSS-aligned science, engineering, and computer science unit

Elementary teachers are tasked with the challenge of implementing Next Generation Science Standards-aligned projects that integrate science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science (STEM + CS) in a variety of classroom contexts. This study investigates how teachers verbally support students in two classrooms, one general education class and one inclusive class with a larger proportion of students with individualized educational plans, to engage in a Next Generation Science Standards-aligned, STEM + CS unit. Teachers' verbal support for students to understand how (pragmatic) and when and why (epistemic) to use practices was examined during whole-class discussions for a 4-week unit in science, engineering, and computer science-focused lessons. Bi-weekly teacher surveys and weekly teacher interviews provided insight into the teachers' perceptions of students and project activities in each class section. Teachers reported instructional decisions to modify their enactment of the interdisciplinary curricular materials for the Inclusive Class and discussed their rationales for these modifications. Results suggest that instructional decisions that teachers made in how to verbally support students may depend upon their own knowledge of the different disciplines being integrated, their prior beliefs of students in different classroom contexts, and their in-the-moment perceptions of student needs. These factors may have led to different learning experiences for the students in each class section. Findings underscore the need for more research to better understand what kinds of support students and teachers need to be able to integrate engineering, science, and computer science content and practices within their elementary classrooms and provide equitable learning opportunities for all students.

Automated summary

This study investigates how elementary teachers verbally support students in Next Generation Science Standards-aligned, STEM + CS units. The results suggest that teachers' support strategies depend on their knowledge of different disciplines, their beliefs about students in different contexts, and their perceptions of student needs.