The Inquiring into Science Instruction Observation Protocol (ISIOP) Development Project

This three-year research project, funded through the NSF’s Evaluation Capacity Building program, is developing and rigorously testing the Inquiring into Science Instruction Observation Protocol (ISIOP), which helps evaluators determine the nature of inquiry science instruction and the extent to which elements of it are present in middle school classroom teaching. The protocol relies on work from two other projects at EDC—Inquiry Synthesis and the Middle-Grades Science Mentoring Program—in addition to existing instruments from other researchers. The project goals are (1) to develop a middle school science classroom observational protocol based on a conceptual framework of inquiry-based science instruction from previous research and theoretical writings; (2) to rigorously test the reliability and validity of the protocol; (3) to have evaluators of science education programs assess the usability of the protocol; and (4) to disseminate the protocol, reliability, and validity trial results, along with directions for use, through professional evaluator networks.