Teachers’ Perspectives on Talk in the Programming Classroom : Language as a Mediator

Abstract

Motivation. In education, classroom talk is a vital aspect of a lesson, and programming education is no exception. While the role of language and dialogue has been researched in depth in other school subjects, there has been less research in the programming context. Sociocultural theory highlights the importance of language as a mediator for learning, alongside other tools. Objectives. Drawing on sociocultural theory and models of dialogic education, the purpose of the study was to investigate the ways in which programming teachers use classroom talk to support learning, and to propose a model to frame our understanding of this element of programming lessons. Method. The qualitative study used phenomenological methodology to investigate and interpret teachers’ ‘lived experiences’ of classroom talk. Interviews were conducted with 20 primary and secondary computing teachers about the content and effect of classroom talk in programming lessons. The context of the study was PRIMM, a lesson structure which highlights the importance of talk around a shared programming artefact. Results. Analysis of data revealed four main themes: how talk occurs in the classroom setting, how questioning is used to facilitate talk, how students are encouraged to explain, and why teachers feel it is important for students to use correct vocabulary. Discussion. Building on research into models of dialogue in education and our findings we suggest a model to frame talk in the programming classroom. We discuss the contribution of PRIMM to our understanding of talk in programming lessons. More research is needed to validate the proposed model and to investigate the impact of classroom talk on learning outcomes in programming.