Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities

TABLE 3
Student Measurement and Examples of Student Steps
Student Steps
A. Engage
1. Student touches or
looks at the picture/
material being shown
2. Student tells what
he/she thinks the
picture/material is
3. Student tells what
he/she think the
picture/material does
(what they know
about it)
4. Student tells what
he/she would like to
find out about the
picture/material
Example Lesson Steps 1. Magnetism
Lesson 2. Simple Machines
(Inclined Plane Lesson)
1. Students were asked to look at and
touch different objects on a table
(including objects of different
materials-wood, plastic, metal and
magnets)
2. Students were asked to look at two
pieces of plywood (i.e., piece of
wood leaned up against the top of
a shelving unit and a piece of
wood lying flat on the floor)
1. Students were asked to tell the
teacher what they thought each
object was (verbally or by pointing
to a picture choice)
2. Students were asked to tell the
teacher what they thought the
object was (verbally or by pointing
to a picture choice)
1. Students were asked to tell the
teacher what they knew about the
objects (e.g., what they were made
out of; some of the objects were
called magnets; magnets stuck to
other objects)
2. Students were asked to tell the
teacher what they knew about the
wood (verbally or by pointing to a
picture choices; e.g., it was leaning;
it was on the floor)
1. Students were asked what they
would like to find out about the
materials and were given verbal
and picture choices to help make
decisions (e.g., What do the
magnets stick to?)
2. Students were asked what they
would like to find out about the
wood and were given verbal and
picture choices to help make
decisions (e.g., What could we do
with the wood?)
of science terms. This dependent variable was
measured using a count of the number of
times students used science terms taught in
Examples of Correct
Student Responses Incorrect Responses
1. Look at and touch
materials on the
table
2. Look at the pieces
of wood
1. Independently
respond to the
teacher’s request
to identify the
materials
2. Independently
respond to the
teacher’s request
to identify the
object
1. Independently
respond to the
teacher’s request
to tell what they
knew about the
objects
2. Independently
respond to the
teacher’s request
to tell what they
knew about the
wood
1. Independently
respond to the
teacher’s request
to tell what they
would like to know
about the objects
2. Independently
respond to the
teacher’s request
to tell what they
would like to know
about the pieces
of wood
1. Does not touch
or eyegaze to
picture/material
2. Does not
respond
3. Does not
respond
4. Does not
respond
previous lessons correctly. The first author tallied
the number of times terms were used
during the science lessons they observed.
Inquiry-Based Science Instruction / 385