Effects of teachers’ co-constructive discourse practices on students’ self-related cognitions and interest in primary science learning

Co-constructive discourse practices, specifically scaffolding and revoicing, were found to be effective in improving students’ learning outcomes. Less focus has been placed on how such discourse practices impact the development of students’ self-related cognition, such as self-concept, self-efficacy, or perceived competence as well as their interest, especially in primary schools. The current study examined this influence within a science learning unit in primary school. Participants were 1039 primary school students in 52 classes. Teachers’ talk to the whole class was recorded, transcribed and their utterances were categorized into scaffolding and revoicing discourse practices. Students’ self-related cognitions and interest were assessed through questionnaires after the teaching unit. Multilevel modeling revealed that teachers’ clarifying discourse practices (e.g., offering solutions to problems or providing explicit task guidance) had a negative effect on students’ self-efficacy and self-concept, but no other influence was found. We argue that clarifying discourse strategies may inadvertently signal to students that their teacher lacks confidence in their abilities, potentially leading students to internalize this implication as a reflection of their own competence.