We need to talk: an investigation of participant perspectives on features of effective dialogue in a Further Education-­based initial teacher education programme.

Horrex, Wendy (2022) We need to talk: an investigation of participant perspectives on features of effective dialogue in a Further Education-­based initial teacher education programme. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Whilst there has been considerable research into the nature of dialogue in education, and increasing interest in the effectiveness of different forms of dialogue, its effectiveness in learning programmes for adults has received less attention. In the specific context of initial teacher education (ITE) in Further Education, dialogue is used extensively and the purpose of this thesis is to examine what is perceived as effective by three different participant groups: students, lecturers and mentors. The research was rooted in a sociocultural approach with an interpretivist epistemology. The methodology was a case study design, using observation, interviews and documentary evidence to explore talk-based activities and perceptions of participants (12 students, 3 lecturers, 6 mentors). Research was carried out in the researcher's institution so the insights and limitations of an insider position are acknowledged and evaluated. An analytical framework was designed, combining descriptive domains and components of dialogue (Calcagni and Lago, 2018) with concepts from Activity Theory (Sannino & Engestrom, 2018) and Community of Practice (Wenger, 1998), and applied to the fieldwork data. Findings emphasised the significance of relationships, prior learning of adult learners and the range of learning aims of participants in shaping the nature of dialogue. Students, like lecturers and mentors, had stories to share and were able to be agentive in and through dialogue. But the precise nature and features of dialogue which were effective depended on what each participant was seeking to achieve. The range of objects meant there were times when dialogue could reinforce peer support and engagement in a community of practice through storytelling, but other times when dialogue involved challenge of a view to enable critical engagement with literature or practice. The thesis contributes both an analytical framework for research in ITE and considerations for practice in the field.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Education and Lifelong Learning
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	24 Jan 2023 08:48
Last Modified:	24 Jan 2023 08:48
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/90736
DOI:

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