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This investigation focused on teachers' questioning skills and the use of wait time (length of pauses after questions). A sample of 40 experienced middle school science teachers from 5 suburban school districts in 1 central New York State county was divided into 4 treatment groups of 10 teachers each. One group received instruction in wait time using a newly-developed electronic feedback device that monitors the duration of teacher and student pauses. (A green light glows when the criterion of a 3 second pause is met.) A second group received instruction in general questioning skills. A third group received both instruction and the use of the feedback device, while the fourth group served as a comparison and received neither instruction nor the electronic device. Tape recordings of class discussions were coded and analyzed for classroom interaction data. Comparisons were made using discriminant analysis, analyses of variance, and correlational relationships. The two groups using the electronic feedback device increased their wait time (although not to the 3 second criterion), used greater numbers of high level questions, and received more contributions from students as measured by length of answers, frequency of volunteered contributions, numbers of relevant student words, and percentages of student talk. (Author/PEB)

This project investigated the effects of increasing teachers' wait times on general questioning skills in science teaching. Variables were separated through the use of four treatment groups, each containing ten science teachers. Schools were randomly assigned to four treatment conditions from a subsampling of middle schools in a central New York state county. One group received instruction in wait time using a newly developed electronic feedback device that monitors the duration of teacher and student pauses; a second received general questioning skills instruction; a third received both types of instruction; and a comparison group received no instruction of either type. Use of written materials on questioning produced only a slight increase in teacher wait times, but feedback devices caused significant increases. Interaction effects were found significant favoring those who had access to the devices without the additional complication of reading the written materials. Treatment effects were maximized at the project's fifth week, and diminished as the school year's end approached. The greatest behavior change noted in analysis was the increase in the amount of total classroom discussion time with active student participation. (MP)

The effects of instructional guides and a wait time feedback device (called a "Wait Timer") on the classroom interaction of middle school science teachers are examined. The Wait Timer, an unobtrusive indicator of wait time, is an automatic device that activates a light when a person speaks. The duration of the light at the end of a question, response, or other pause can be regulated to control wait time length. The effects of using the Wait Time was noted to be enhanced by a supportive intervention process that employed analyses of tape recordings of classroom discussions. Through studies, it has been determined that effective use of wait time can result in spontaneous improvements in both cognitive and affective variables in the classroom. These changes are greater if wait time information is supplemented by supportive intervention from persons who have studied tape recordings of interactions from the teachers' classrooms. It appears that monitoring wait times using an electronic device accompanied by skilled analyses of tape recordings and supportive intervention do provide an avenue for the improvement of teaching skills. (ML)

The objective of this study was to investigate how classroom questioning and discussion skills, designed to increase scientific literacy and problem solving performance, affects student achievement in biology and chemistry. The two independent variables for this study were the effects of wait time and supportive intervention. The dependent variables used were the grades of students on the Biology and Chemistry Regents Examinations in the State of New York. Forty-four teachers from 15 suburban and rural high schools located in four central New York counties provided the data set. Each teacher designated one class as an experimental unit and provided them with instruction using the techniques of wait time and supportive intervention. Results varied between the chemistry and biology groups. Indications were that since biology instruction uses memorization, the effects of the independent variables were not significant. In chemistry, there was no difference in the grades of students in the classes of teachers who received supportive intervention. In biology, however, the students performed at significantly lower levels. Also in biology, the presence of "wait timers" made little difference in achievement, except with students in the highest ability group. Five tables and six figures are included. (TW)