This study investigated types of student engagement evident in discourse between students and facilitators in a grade eight class during their participation in a remote laboratory activity accessing an analytical instrument in a university chemistry laboratory from their classroom using the internet. Students were divided into six groups of three for the activity and their conversations with facilitators were video and audio recorded. Interaction analysis indicated occurrence of types of engagement as defined by the productive disciplinary engagement model and frequencies were determined. Results indicate that groups differed in the levels and types of engagement that they demonstrated. Pearson correlations demonstrated a significant positive relationship between engagement and student talk, and engagement and facilitator talk. Two groups demonstrated movement toward productive disciplinary engagement. Conversation analysis of these two examples suggests that dialogic interactions with a facilitator may be helpful in supporting students moving towards productive disciplinary engagement.
