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Teaching assistant and pupil interactions: The role of repair and topic management in scaffolding learning
Author(s) -
Bosanquet Paula,
Radford Julie
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
british journal of educational psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.557
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 2044-8279
pISSN - 0007-0998
DOI - 10.1111/bjep.12231
Subject(s) - scaffold , psychology , conversation , mathematics education , observational study , pedagogy , computer science , communication , medicine , pathology , database
Background Teaching assistants ( TA s) are taking increasing responsibility for the learning of pupils. A key instructional skill for TA s is the ability to scaffold learning. Aim To explore the interactions of TA s in relation to scaffolding as a theory of instruction. Methods Observational data in the form of video were collected. Conversation analysis was used to examine these interactions. Results Examples are explored where repair of troubles and construction of topic are highly led by the TA . As such, these interactions cannot be seen to constitute scaffolding. Conclusions Teaching assistants require training in scaffolding as an instructional strategy, and educational psychologists (EPs) could play a vital role in this respect.