Instructional Metadiscourse Supporting Elaboration, Intersubjectivity, and Autonomy in Collaborative Reasoning Discussions

• In Event: 35.083 - Poster Session 7
  In Poster Session: 35.083-1 - Reading Comprehension and Assessment

Abstract

The study examined teachers’ instructional metadiscourse in interplay with discourse proper and its correspondences and dependencies on the observed patterns of children’s metatalk in Collaborative Reasoning small-group discussions. 77 fourth-grade students and 4 teachers were analyzed from the CR-project promulgating argument stratagems in peer-led discussions. The analysis of instructional metadiscourse revealed significant between-teacher differences. Microgenetic analysis across discussions revealed that instructional why/how-Commentary Interrogatives and overall prompting/probing was mirrored in children’s metatalk and reflected in causal-linking and elaboration, while tapping into procedural and conditional knowledge. Teachers’ intersubjectivity and attitudinal marking helped communicating of perspective-taking, encouragement, and process-feedback/praise, thus fostering autonomy, resolution of socio-cognitive conflicts/dilemmas or communicative competence in argumentation. Pedagogic implications may help to improve instructional argumentative and socio-pragmatic praxis.

Authors

• Beata Latawiec, Wichita State University

• Richard C. Anderson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign