Dialogue journal communication as a lens into classroom teaching and learning

The purpose of this qualitative research was to describe the nature of the daily dialogue journal communication occurring in a third grade classroom. Focus revolved around four student participants, their teacher who was also the researcher, and three sources of data that were collected over a 12-month period. Sets of written entries, first and second interviews, and field notes resulting from observations of students' interactions with their dialogue journals, the teacher's response process, and spoken conversations involving the dialogue journal writing were examined.; Since a social-semiotic perspective underpinned this research, several specific aspects of the written conversations were studied. These were the content, or topics, appearing in the entries and the writers' thinking about them. The patterns, or structure characterizing the written communication were analyzed, and participants' roles, relationships, and evolution as teachers/learners throughout the school year were considered.; Analysis of the data reveals a shift in typical subject matter, interaction patterns, and student-teacher roles and relationships within the context of the dialogue journals. The study indicates, therefore, that such changes can take place in classrooms and that it is possible for teachers to implement them. Furthermore, examination of the topics about which participants wrote, how they wrote about them, and the mutual, collaborative written conversations occurring in the dialogue journals suggest that the quality of classroom conversations is an important consideration within educational settings.; Overall, findings from this research have implications for teachers working with students as well as teacher educators and staff developers. Qualitative studies such as this highlight the importance of considering social aspects of teaching and learning as well as the fact that there is still much to learn about how knowledge of language development and understanding of the relationship between thought, language, and learning can be translated into highly effective classroom practice.