児童の探究の質を深めるための教育対話分 ―総合的な学習の時間における教師の対話― Teacher’s Dialogue to Deepen Pupils’ Inquiry in Integrated Studies Lessons

Context: The study emerges from the Japanese Ministry of Education's emphasis on developing effective teaching methods during integrated learning time in schools. It highlights the challenges faced in achieving meaningful inquiry-based and collaborative learning environments, noting a significant disparity in teachers' abilities that adversely affects students' inquiry processes. Recent curriculum guidelines place increased emphasis on “ways of thinking” (kangaeru tame no gihō)—structured approaches that support students in developing, articulating, and deepening their thinking through educational dialogue. Aims: The primary objective of this research is to explore the nature of educational dialogue that enhances children’s inquiry quality. It seeks to clarify the actual dialogue present in classroom settings during integrated learning time and to propose effective dialogue strategies that can promote higher levels of student engagement and inquiry. Methods: The study employs a case study design, focusing on a specific sixth-grade project aimed at raising awareness of clothing sustainability. Multiple lesson observations, along with interviews with practitioners, allowed for a comprehensive analysis of the educational dialogue within the context of this inquiry-based learning. The Toolkit for Systematic Educational Dialogue Analysis (T-SEDA) was utilized for coding and analysing the dialogues occurring in these classroom interactions. Findings: The findings reveal that teacher dialogue serves two primary functions: emotional support, helping to instil confidence in students, and cognitive support, guiding and directing discussions. However, while the dialogue helped maintain a collaborative atmosphere and stabilize group interactions, it often did not deepen students' understanding or lead to substantial knowledge expansion. Notably, discussions frequently devolved into mere reporting rather than fostering critical analysis. Implications: The research indicates that effective educational dialogue requires a balance of emotional and cognitive support. Teachers might consider integrating questions that stimulate higher-order thinking skills, such as comparison and classification, to enhance inquiry quality. This study provides insights into the dynamics of classroom dialogue and suggests a need for a holistic approach in supporting both emotional and cognitive facets of learning to improve inquiry outcomes.

Keywords (free text)

educational dialogue, T-SEDA, inquiry-based learning, integrated studies, primary education

Permanent link to cite this item

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14069/1297
https://doi.org/10.71779/773

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