Educational dialogue of preschool teachers experiencing different levels of stress

ABSTRACT

This study examined the occurrence and quality of educational dialogue in the preschool classrooms of teachers with low, moderate and high stress levels. Video-recordings of 21 preschool teachers were analysed based on episodes of educational dialogue and categorised with respect to patterns of dialogic teaching and shared knowledge building. The teachers’ level of stress was determined based on their self-reporting of work-related stress and well-being. The findings showed that moderately stressed teachers conducted educational dialogue the most, whereas teachers with low stress conducted dialogue the least. Patterns of teacher-initiated dialogue of a high quality and patterns involving factual knowledge sharing prevailed in the sample. The study contributes to knowledge on teacher stress levels and the occurrence of educational dialogue in preschool.

KEYWORDS:

• Educational dialogue
• teacher stress
• dialogic teaching
• shared knowledge building
• preschool

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Academy of Finland (No. 317610), Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation, and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Notes on contributors

Heli Muhonen

Dr. Heli Muhonen is a Postdoctoral Researcher of Education at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. She works in the Teacher and Student Stress and Interaction in Classroom research project. Her research focus on educational dialogue and its relations to different classroom factors in diverse school levels.

Eija Pakarinen

Dr. Eija Pakarinen is Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Her research foci include teacher and student stress, teacher–child interactions, teacher–student relationships, and teaching practices in relation to children’s motivational, academic and socio-emotional outcomes. She is the coPI of the Teacher and Student Stress and Interaction in Classroom research project, which is funded by the Academy of Finland.

Helena Rasku-Puttonen

Dr. Helena Rasku-Puttonen is Professor of Educational Psychology (emerita) at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Her research interests concern learning environments, student-teacher interaction, educational dialogue and teacher education.

Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen

Dr. Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen is Professor of Education and Adjunct Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Her broad research foci include, for instance, effects of classroom interactions, teacher-student relationship and environmental factors to child outcomes in learning and motivation in early childhood and school settings. Her merits include extensive experience in leading research projects, and she is the PI of the Teacher and Student Stress and Interaction in Classroom research project, which is funded by the Academy of Finland.