Systematic quantitative literature review of the dialogic pedagogy literature

Abstract

This systematic quantitative literature review was conducted to analyse and synthesise the extant corpus of knowledge on dialogic pedagogy within school settings, and thus identify theoretical and methodological gaps in the literature, which might suggest new avenues for research. A search of eight databases (2014–2020) revealed an initial pool of 2443 papers, which was reduced to 61 after screening for eligibility. An analysis of the 61 papers was framed around the following questions: What is the dominant mode of classroom discourse (monologic or dialogic) reported in the literature? Where is dialogic pedagogy being researched? Who are the dominant voices in the field? and Which year levels and school subjects have been examined using which methodologies? A key finding of the analysis was the absence of substantial research by Australian or New Zealand authors, specifically where mathematics education is concerned. Similarly, there is little investigation focusing on the early years of schooling. While some education areas have been well researched with regard to dialogic pedagogy, further work is required that focuses on areas such as the early years of schooling; non-science contexts; and the use of qualitative research methods.