Abstract of

Scaffolding Student Talk: One Teacher's Role in Literature Discussion Groups

Beth Maloch

This 5-month qualitative study explored the relationship between the teacher's role and the students' participation within literature discussion groups in a third-grade classroom. Using the constant-comparative method and microanalysis of teacher/student participation patterns, two salient themes emerged, including (a) the problematic nature of students' transition from a teacher-led to a student-led discussion format, and (b) the responsive nature of the teacher's interventions relative to students' difficulties within the discussions. Of particular note were the ways in which the teacher's interventions were metalinguistic and served to highlight the discussion process for students. Factors contributing to the dynamic nature of the teacher's involvement within the discussions included the degree to which the discussions approximated the teacher's discussion protocol and students' developing understanding of conversational strategies and exploratory talk. A clear progression was seen in students' use of exploratory (productive) talk, indicating the influence of teacher's interventions. This study offers theoretical and practical insights regarding how teachers scaffold students in the appropriation of new forms of discourse.

Abstract from Maloch, B. (2002). Scaffolding Student Talk: One Teacher's Role in Literature Discussion Groups. Reading Research Quarterly, 37(1), 94–112. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.37.1.4