Instruction and Learning in Middle School Science Classes: Implications for Students with Disabilities

Abstract

In this study we employed a two-dimensional framework consisting of knowledge forms and intellectual operations to analyze curriculum materials, teacher-mediated instruction, and student use of information on essay and traditional criterion-referenced measures. Findings suggested that student perceptions and learning may be governed by a complex interaction between curriculum materials and teacher-mediated instruction rather than by only curriculum or teaching. Teacher use of information in complex intellectual operations during interactive instruction may be associated with student performance, but low-achieving students may need more exposure to information to take full advantage of teacher modeling.