Techniques, Science Activities, *Teacher Behavior,

This paper reports a study of selected examples of verbal behavior patterns in primary grade classrooms during science activities. The subjects were 32 elementary teachers within five mid-Michigan public school districts. A control group of 16 teachers taught science in the conventional manner. The experimental group received an in-depth study of the Science Curriculum Improvement Study's (SCIS) teaching methods and materials at a 3-week workshop, and used the teaching methods and materials suggested by SCIS 3.* their classrooms. The study was designed as a quasi- experimental, time-series analysis and involved a series of science teaching observations over a one-year period. Each science lesson was recorded with portable tape recorders, and two of the three instruments used in evaluating the data were concerned with information gathered from analyses of the taped lessons. The data indicated that the SCIS teachers differed significantly from those teachers employing conventional science teaching methods and materials by demonstrating an increase in the amount of direct teacher influence displayed in verbal behavior patterns during science activities. Additionally, the SCIS teachers displayed a preference toward asking high-level questions of children. Bibliography. (LC)-M