Developing dialogic teaching: genesis, process, trial
Abstract
This paper considers the development and randomised control trial (RCT) of a dialogic teaching intervention designed to maximise the power of classroom talk to enhance students’ engagement and learning. Building on the author’s earlier work, the intervention’s pedagogical strand instantiates dialogic teaching not as a single, circumscribed ‘method’ but as an interlocking set of permissive repertoires through which, steered by principles of procedure, teachers energise their own and their students’ talk. The repertoires are directed both to teaching’s improvement and to its larger epistemological, cultural and civic purposes. Its professional strand entailed teacher induction and training followed by a cyclic programme of planning, target-setting and review using mentoring and video/audio analysis. Supported by the UK Education Endowment Foundation it was piloted in London and trialled in three other UK cities with combined intervention/control cohorts of nearly 5000 year 5 (4th grade) students and 208 teachers. The independent evaluation calculated that after 20 weeks students in the intervention group were two months ahead of their control group peers in English, mathematics and science tests; while coded video data showed that the changes in both teacher and student talk were striking and in the direction intended. The RCT methodology affords limited explanatory purchase but insights are available from other studies. These, together with contingent questions and future possibilities, are discussed in the paper’s conclusion.
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Students in talk-intensive classes in which students speak often, are involved in deep and meaningful conversations, and have supportive teachers benefit positively.
“Several studies have confirmed a positive impact for students located in”
From How vocal and silent forms of participation in combination relate to student achievement (2023) · cites this paper as Alexander, 2018
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Sedova, K., Sedlacek, M., Svaricek, R., Majcik, M., Navratilova, J., Drexlerova, A., Kychler, J., & Salamounova, Z. (2019) · Learning and Instruction · doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2019.101217 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
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Sedova, K., & Sedlacek, M. (2023) · Instructional Science · doi:10.1007/s11251-022-09609-1 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“Several studies have confirmed a positive impact for students located in “talk intensive” classes in which students speak often, are involved in deep and meaningful conversations, and have supportive teachers (Alexander, 2018; Muhonen et al., 2018; O’Connor et al., 2015).”
BackgroundTao, Y., Wang, D., & Chen, G. (2026) · British Educational Research Journal · doi:10.1002/berj.70031 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Magirius, M., Steinmetz, M., & Scherf, D. (2023) · L1-Educational Studies in Language and Literature · doi:10.21248/l1esll.2023.23.2.584 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
- Authors
- Alexander, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Alexander, Robin
- ORCID
- Alexander, Robin
- Venue
- Research Papers in Education
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2018-06-17
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 561-598
- ISSN
- 0267-1522 (ISSN-L)
- 1470-1146
- OpenAlex
- W2809201790
- Semantic Scholar
- e4d20dc400a835ac2571e938269bcfddcda8630f
- Cited by
- 397
- References
- 85
- Citations by year
- 2026: 59 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 54 · 2023: 75 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 52 · 2020: 37 · 2019: 17 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 85.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Research Papers in Education (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Education Endowment Foundation (UK) (2014)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
- Social Sciences › Education › Evaluation of Teaching Practices
- Social Sciences › Education › Early Childhood Education and Development
- Keywords
- dialogic teaching, classroom discourse, student engagement, teacher induction, teacher professional development, mentoring, video analysis of teaching, intervention development, primary education, academic performance
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