TABLE 6.

Coding Rubric for Parents’ and Children’s Talk

Category	Code	Description	Example
Causal language	Causal connection statement	Statements about how a specific action leads to a consequence. Must include mention of both the cause/action and the effect in the exhibit.	“When you turn this gear, it makes this gear spin.”
	Causal connection question	Questions asking someone about the cause of a given effect, or the effect of one’s action. These questions usually included “why” or “how.”	“Why did this one start to turn?” “How did that happen?” “How can we make that one spin?”
	Making prediction statement	Statements suggesting that something will happen as a consequence of an action.	“I think this one will spin the other way.”
	Making prediction question	Questions requesting a prediction about a causal relation. This code did not include what-if questions that only prompted an action.	“What do you think will happen if we move this closer?” “What happens if you turn it the other way?”
	Personal connection statement	Statements that relate the experience to a previous personal experience or a piece of information with personal relevance to the child or parent.	“This is like on your bicycle” “This is how our clock at home works.”
	Personal connection question	Questions that request a connection to a personal experience or piece of information with personal relevance to the child or parent.	“What does this remind you of that we did last summer?” “What do the gears on your bike do?”
	Science principle statement	Statements that relate the experience to a larger scientific principle or knowledge about a general concept. This code also applied to utterances involving analogy to a more general principle.	“Gears make things turn.” “This is like how clocks work.”
	Science principle question	Questions that ask for a broader scientific principle or knowledge about a general concept.	“How do gears make things work?”
	Labeling or describing the exhibit, causal mechanism statement	Statements that name parts of the exhibit or talk about aspects of the exhibit that are relevant to the causal mechanism (i.e., how the gears fit together or cause other gears to spin). This code also applied to utterances that mention causally relevant properties, such as gears’ size or shape, the teeth on the gears or how they interlock, the direction or speed that the gears spin, and whether a gear will “fit” in a given spot. At individual sites, this code was also assigned based on particular features of the exhibit.	“It’s stuck.” “The gears have ridges.” “These are the teeth on the gear.” “That gear is going backwards.” “Now they’re connected.” “You can move them around.” “You can spin them.”
	Labeling or describing the exhibit, causal mechanism question	Questions that ask for a label or description that is relevant to the causal mechanism.	“Does it connect?” “What direction is that one spinning?” “Where will that one fit?”
Noncausal talk about the exhibit or about actions	Labeling or describing the exhibit, irrelevant to causal mechanism statement	Statements that name or talk about aspects of the exhibit with no obvious connection to the causal mechanism (any other aspect of the exhibit besides how the gears fit together or make other gears spin). Includes talk about the color or decorative aspects of the gears, the number of gears on the table/board, or other parts of the exhibit. This code was also used for labeling gears without any further information.	“The doll is pretty.” “It’s purple.” “That’s a clock.” “There are three.” “That’s called a gear.”
	Labeling or describing the exhibit, irrelevant to causal mechanism question	Questions that ask for a label or a description that is irrelevant to a causal mechanism.	“How many gears are there?” “What color are they?” “Is it a gear?
	Directing another’s action	Imperative statements telling another person what to do. This generally includes statements about what someone needs to do, should do, or has to do. No causal relation is mentioned in these statements.	“Turn it the other way.” “Move that one over.” “Now spin it.” “Try it.” “You need to move it.”
	Suggesting/ scaffolding actions	Prompts or suggestions that imply performing an action, not as an imperative, but in a subtler way. This can be done as stating a possibility or as a rhetorical question. This category includes asking or requesting that someone perform an action but with no causal relation mentioned.	“Maybe there’s somewhere else you can put that one.” “What if we use the big gears?” “You can move them if you want.” “Can you move that gear?” “Want to try it?”
	Narrating own or others’ action	Statements about what the speaker or another person did, is doing, or will do, without directing another person to perform an action, or mentioning a causal relation. Also questions where speaker is narrating action or events (rather than requesting that someone perform an action).	“I’m going to put this one over there.” “I’ll do it.” “You’re turning it!” “Did you get it to fit?
	Open-ended question	Questions that do not include a specific suggestion. Includes asking someone about what they are doing/ plan to do without constraining the answer, specifically when the question did not suggest a particular action. This code was also used to ask about someone else’s preferences or opinions and ideas.	“What do you want to do next?” “Which one are you going to try?” “Do you want me to help?” “Want to keep playing?” “What do you think?”
Other kinds of noncausal talk	Guiding attention	Statements that suggest that the other person focus on some part of the exhibit, without describing it.	“Look over there and see what’s happening.” “Watch this, Mom!”
	Guiding attention question	Questions that ask for the attention of another person.	“Can you see how it looks from up above?”
	Emotion	Expressions of emotion, such as awe, frustration, pride, or humor.	“Wow!” “Cool!” “Uh oh!”
	Emotion question	Questions that ask about another’s emotion.	“Did that surprise you?”
	Praise	Statements that praise the action of the other person.	“Good job!” “You’re so smart.”
	Praise question	Questions that ask for praise or evaluation.	“Did I do a good job?”
	Other utterance, on task	Any statements or questions that do not fit into categories above or do not have enough information to categorize but are on-task (focused on the exhibit).	“Yes.” “Hmm.” “Okay.” “Maybe.” “You know what?”
	Other utterance, off task	Any statements or questions that do not fit into categories above and are generally off task. Includes talk about being finished playing or ready to move on.	“I’m hungry.” “Can we leave now?” “Are you all finished?” “I’m all done with gears.”