The implementation and impact of dialogic teaching in higher education in Thailand

Drawing on sociocultural theories, a substantial body of research into dialogic teaching has been carried out in Western school settings. This study builds on the large-scale dialogic teaching intervention study carried out by Alexander, Hardman, and Hardman (2017) in UK primary schools. The current study replicates, with some adaptations, this UK study and applies it to higher education in the Eastern country of Thailand. It aimed to investigate the implementation and impact of dialogic teaching on classroom processes in multidisciplinary undergraduate courses. The study involved three Thai university lecturers (Language Education, Law, and Fishery Science) who participated in a twelve-week professional development program consisting of two workshops and five cycles of individual video-based reflective coaching sessions. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected pre- and post-intervention using mixed methods: live classroom observations, transcripts of video-recorded teaching sessions, student questionnaires, and lecturer and student group interviews. The findings show that the dialogic teaching implementation was complex and influenced by teacher stance, classroom norms and students’ perspectives. A positive impact of dialogic teaching post-intervention was evident in different ways and to varying degrees across the participating lecturers and their classes. In particular, there was an improvement in the classroom climate, lecturers’ teaching and talk practices, quality of student talk, and lecturer-student relationships. The other perceived positive impact included improved student language articulacy and communication skills and understanding of the course content. The study contributes to understanding the dialogic teaching implementation in higher education in Thailand and its impact on classroom processes, thus extending the existing international body of literature on dialogic teaching.