A System for Analyzing Children and Caregivers’ STEM Language, Inquiry, and Behavior in Structured Contexts

This coding system was developed using categories and codes established across multiple research studies and most recently an NSF-funded evaluation of an early STEM family engagement program called Teaching Together. We provide definitions of codes to promote shared use of these or similar approaches that match early STEM activities relevant to other studies. Others are welcome to use or adapt this coding scheme to fit your research that examines qualities of caregiver-child language. There are two major types of codes: (a) the frequency of individuals' talk about different STEM domains, and (b) the types of utterances used with a focus on categorizing question types observed during the activity.