Exploring qualities in prospective primary school teachers’ small-group discussions

The aim of this study is to investigate the qualities of prospective primary school teachers’ small-group discussions in science. The empirical data comprise students’ discussions in small groups (N = 15) and students’ pre- and post-tests (N = 50). Analyses of the discussions were conducted according to four levels of tentative sense-making. Out of 15 groups, only 6 arrived at the correct conclusion regarding the phase changes of water during their discussions. The groups that succeeded exhibited higher-quality levels of tentative sense-making during their discussions. Additionally, students in these groups showed improved post-test results compared to their pre-tests. The findings have implications for how we organise and use small group discussions when teaching science and in teacher education to improve science education and practice.