Life Sciences teachers' use of discursive moves to establish dialogic discourse when teaching about the cell cycle

Abstract

There is an agreement among science education scholars in South Africa and the world that establishing a dialogic discourse depends on how teachers ask questions and respond to learners’ contributions. The purpose of this study was to investigate how Life Sciences teachers use discursive moves to establish a dialogic discourse when teaching the topic of the cell cycle in Grade 10 and the factors that influence the Life Sciences teachers’ use of these discursive moves. Socio-cultural theory was used as the main theoretical framework and several constructs like teacher discursive moves from Tytler and Aranda’s (2015) and Mortimer and Scott’s (2003) frameworks of communicative approaches as a conceptual framework. Using a multiple qualitative case study, data was collected through classroom observations (video data) and video-stimulated recall interviews (VSRIs). The video data was analysed both inductively and deductively using an established framework, and data from the VSRIs was analysed thematically. Findings indicate a specific progression of discursive moves to establish a dialogic discourse. Interestingly, the findings differed in the length of dialogic interactive patterns when close-ended and open-ended questions were used to initiate a discussion. Factors that contribute to the use of discursive moves when teaching the topic of the cell cycle are presented and discussed. This study outlines some recommendations for in-service Life Sciences teachers’ professional development and how initial teacher education programmes need to prepare Life Sciences teachers to understand the intricacies of establishing a dialogic discourse in Life Sciences classrooms.