Extra-Textual Talk: A Dialogical Study of Teacher-Child Interactions in Book Sharing

• In Event: Constructivist Theory, Research, and Practice: Perspectives and Insights From Preschool Through Adulthood

Abstract

This study examines the qualities of mediation in book-sharing interactions related to two different picture books. Videotaped interactions during the reading of the two books were analysed using Initiative Response (IR) analysis, a quantitative categorisation system for types of contextualised and decontextualised talk based on previous research, and in-depth qualitative analysis of the interrelations between contextualised and decontextualised talk. The findings revealed a moderate to high level of asymmetry and that dyads engaged in more contextualised than decontextualised talk. The qualitative analysis found a complex interrelation between contextualised and decontextualised talk, in which both teachers and children contributed substantially to the mediated interactions. The findings have implications for practice and (preschool) teachers’ professional development.

Authors

• Silje Hoelland, Oslo Metropolitan University (previous Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences)

• Bente Hagtvet, University of Oslo