Promotion of school engagement through dialogic teaching practices in the context of a teacher professional development programme

Abstract

This study was conducted in the context of a teacher professional development programme that aimed to improve dialogic teaching in the classroom, and it describes the programme and examines the change in teachers' dialogic teaching practices and pupils' classroom engagement during the programme. Data on pupils' school engagement were collected using classroom video recordings and students' self-ratings at the end of the lesson including dialogic teaching practices. The participants comprised seven in-service teachers and their 140 pupils (10- to 15-year-olds) from two comprehensive schools. The findings indicated positive change in the use of dialogic teaching practices and in observed pupils' school engagement during the programme. Moreover, pupils' help-seeking during lessons increased over the course of the programme. The study suggests that a structured professional development programme utilising video recordings with teacher reflections provides beneficial tools for promoting teachers' employment of dialogic interaction and pupils' school engagement.