A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Development of teacher-child conversations during three years of teacher coaching in dialogic approach to reading




AuthorsLepola, Janne; Kajamies, Anu; Tiilikainen, Mikko; Lindfors, Tiia

PublisherElsevier

Publication year2026

Journal: Early Childhood Research Quarterly

Volume74

First page 275

Last page287

ISSN0885-2006

eISSN1873-7706

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.10.007

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.10.007

Self-archived copy’s web address https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505146737


Abstract

This study examined the development of teacher–child conversations in the context of a three-year-long professional development on dialogic reading. Five early education teachers and their story groups, comprising three to six five-year-old Finnish-speaking children from three different cohorts, participated in the study. Thirty reading aloud sessions, 10 from each cohort, were video-recorded in the fall and spring semesters. The dynamics of teacher–child conversations were analyzed using the initiation–response–follow-up framework. We explored the development of teachers’ initiations and follow-ups, and the within-cohort changes in children’s responses. Sequential relationships between teachers’ initiations and follow-ups and the different types of children’s responses, as well as conversational lengths, were examined. The results showed an upward trend in the number of teachers’ initiations and follow-ups during each cohort period. Children’s literal responses were the most prevalent. Positive within-cohort improvement was found in children’s inferential responses, along with a small but meaningful dose of creative type of talk. Sequential analysis showed that teachers’ closed questions strongly determined children’s literal responses, and the probability of children’s inferential responses to teachers’ open-ended questions increased. Lengthier conversations were linked to teachers’ open-ended questions and the use of explorative questions. We discuss the theoretical and practical underpinnings of teacher change in relation to dialogic reading practices.


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Funding information in the publication
The first author received financial support from Turun lastensuojelurahasto ry and Satakunnan korkeakoulus¨a¨ati¨o. Work by the second and the third author was funded by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) within the Academy of Finland [345196 and 345265].


Last updated on 2025-11-11 at 07:54