Abstract
In classrooms where students are given the space to engage in dialogue, ask questions, and negotiate ideas, science learning comes to life. Providing opportunities for students to negotiate ideas publicly, through dialogue, then privately, through writing has the potential to maximize student idea generation. Although dialogue is widely recognized as important for engagement and communicating ideas, it has also been framed as an epistemic tool. However, the role of dialogue as a sense-making process or epistemic tool, and its relationship to other forms of language, remains under-explored. This study addresses this gap by investigating the role of dialogue and how it supports student written language and science idea development in a high school science classroom.
Document Type
Brief
DOI
10.5703/1288284318512
Recommended Citation
Warren, Alison, "Exploring the Role of Dialogue in Student Development and Knowledge Generation" (2026). Indiana STEM Education Conference. 13.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/instemed/2026/briefs/13
Included in
Exploring the Role of Dialogue in Student Development and Knowledge Generation
In classrooms where students are given the space to engage in dialogue, ask questions, and negotiate ideas, science learning comes to life. Providing opportunities for students to negotiate ideas publicly, through dialogue, then privately, through writing has the potential to maximize student idea generation. Although dialogue is widely recognized as important for engagement and communicating ideas, it has also been framed as an epistemic tool. However, the role of dialogue as a sense-making process or epistemic tool, and its relationship to other forms of language, remains under-explored. This study addresses this gap by investigating the role of dialogue and how it supports student written language and science idea development in a high school science classroom.