Discussion in Postsecondary Classrooms

Spoken language is, arguably, the primary means by which teachersteach and students learn. Much of the literature on language in classrooms has focusedon discussion that is seen as both a method of instruction and a curricular outcome.While much of the research on discussion has focused on K-12 classrooms, there is also abody of research examining the efficacy of discussion in postsecondary settings. Thisarticle provides a review of this literature in order to consider the effect ofdiscussion on student learning in college and university classrooms, the prevalence ofdiscussion in postsecondary settings, and the quality of discussion in these settings.In general, the results of research on the efficacy of discussion in postsecondarysettings are mixed. More seriously, researchers have not been explicit about the meaningof discussion and much of what is called discussion in this body of research is merelyrecitation with minimal levels of student participation. Although the research ondiscussion in college and university classrooms is inconclusive, some implications canbe drawn from this review of the research including the need for future researchers toclearly define what they mean by “discussion.