The Science Discourse Instrument (SDI) is an observation tool and rubric used to evaluate the quality of discusions in science classrooms. There are six categories for observation in the SDI, which are considered essential to strong discourse in science classrooms, three of the categories focus on teachers and three focus on students. The categories for teachers are: asking open ended questions; pressing for explanation; and linking discussions. The categories for students are: explaination of ideas; co-constructing ideas with peers; and critiquing the reasoning of others.
Content
Domains
Subdomain
Topics
Classroom Instruction
Grades
K-12
Languages
English
Respondent
Observer
Administration information
Length
3 observations of 15 minute segments of discussion. Segments are rated across 6 categories for observation.
Price
Free
Administration
Individual,
Observation
National Sample
No
Access and Use
Contact
Hilda Borko, hildab@stanford.edu
Instrument Use in Peer-Reviewed Studies
Fishman, E. J., Borko, H., Osborne, J., Gomez, F., Rafanelli, S., Reigh, E., … Berson, E. (2017). A Practice-Based Professional Development Program to Support Scientific Argumentation From Evidence in the Elementary Classroom. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 28(3), 222–249.
Osborne, J. F., Borko, H., Fishman, E., Gomez Zaccarelli, F., Berson, E., Busch, K. C., … Tseng, A. (2019). Impacts of a Practice-Based Professional Development Program on Elementary Teachers’ Facilitation of and Student Engagement With Scientific Argumentation. American Educational Research Journal, 56(4), 1067–1112.
Psychometrics
Scoring
Manual scoring
Open Access
Yes
Resources on Psychometric Properties