The role of discussion in disciplinary teaching: a research design for training in primary school

The research presents the design of a study aimed at developing an operational tool to support primary school teachers in implementing classroom discussion as a teaching strategy. Within the current educational debate, classroom discussion is increasingly recognized as a key process for the co-construction of knowledge and meanings, fostering the development of argumentative competence, critical thinking, and peer cooperation. In particular, the activation of socio-cognitive conflict within dialogic interaction can promote cognitive change through processes of mental restructuring, making discussion a powerful learning device. In the Italian school system, discussion also holds a relevant institutional role, as highlighted in the Indicazioni Nazionali per la Scuola Primaria, issued by the Ministry of Education and Merit, which identify it as a central cognitive practice in learning processes and emphasize its role in supporting inclusive and participatory learning environments. Starting from this framework, the main objective of the study is to co-construct, together with teachers, an original and usable tool to support both the observation and the conscious management of classroom discussion, with particular attention to the promotion of students’ active participation and argumentative exchanges. The project adopts a research-training approach and is structured according to a multilevel and sequential exploratory design, integrating research processes with professional development and reflective practice. The study involves groups of primary school teachers who participate in a structured training pathway focused on the design, implementation, and analysis of classroom discussions across different disciplinary areas. The research design comprises two interconnected components: the first aims to explore teachers’ practices and representations through pre-test and post-test questionnaires, in order to detect changes in their conceptions of discussion, metacognitive awareness, and perception of their own discursive competences; the second focuses on the development and application of an analytical tool for classroom interaction, based on a coding system designed to classify both teachers’ and pupils’ interventions and to identify recurring interactional patterns. This phase includes training sessions, guided classroom experimentation, iterative cycles of tool application, and moments of individual and collective reflection supported by shared analysis of recorded classroom interactions. Data collection is primarily based on the coding system developed within the project, which enables a systematic analysis of communicative and interactional dynamics, as well as the identification of discursive strategies activated during discussions, including questioning techniques, feedback moves, and peer interaction patterns. Expected results concern both the validation and refinement of the analytical tool and the observation of changes in teachers’ awareness and practices, particularly in terms of their ability to intentionally manage dialogic interactions, scaffold students’ contributions, and foster higher levels of participation and argumentation. Furthermore, the study is expected to provide insights into the relationship between teachers’ representations and their actual classroom practices. In conclusion, the project aims to offer a concrete and theoretically grounded contribution to educational research by providing a tool that integrates observational and formative functions, supporting teachers in both analyzing and improving their practice, and promoting processes of self-evaluation, professional awareness, and sustainable innovation in teaching practices. This contribution is part of a PhD in Social, Developmental and Educational Research Psychology at Sapienza University of Rome, currently in progress, prepared by Dr. Beatrice Carbè, under the supervision of Prof. Giordana Szpunar and Prof. Patrizia Sposetti.