Development of an Observation Protocol for Teachers' Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Science Instruction

This study is part of a larger project on culturally and linguistically responsive instruction for multilingual learners (MLs) in biology (CLIMB), aimed at enhancing MLs' engagement in science practices, biology content, and language development. We developed the CLIMB observation protocol to capture how teachers implement responsive instruction, integrating language development, biology content, and science practices. The protocol is comprised of six elements that align with research-backed practices to support MLs: Attention to Language, Multiple Modalities, Collaboration, Affirming Identities, Funds of Knowledge, and Sociopolitical Consciousness. Through three iterative phases-domain specification and expert review, item revision with teacher feedback, and pilot testing-we describe the protocol's development and provide validity evidence for its use in observing biology teachers of MLs. Results provide evidence for the validity and reliability of the CLIMB protocol in capturing teachers' culturally and linguistically responsive instructional practices in secondary biology classrooms. The protocol facilitates systematic observation of instructional elements, offering a tool for researchers and practitioners to document and analyze responsive teaching for MLs. By providing a structured framework for observing instruction, the protocol advances research methodology in science education, particularly for studies involving MLs. Although developed in a biology education context, this protocol offers a model for adaptation to other science disciplines seeking to integrate culturally and linguistically responsive instruction. Future work may use this tool to examine relationships between observed instructional practices and MLs' science learning outcomes.