Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
The Dialogic Teaching intervention (designed and delivered by Professor Robin Alexander and Professor Frank Hardman) aims to improve the quality of primary classroom talk as a means of increasing pupils' engagement, learning, and attainment, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The intervention includes training for teachers, ongoing in-school monitoring and support, and a pack containing study and reference materials and a development and mentoring manual. Schools are also provided with necessary equipment for video and audio recording and teacher cover is paid for any time when participating teachers are away from their classrooms. The intervention emphasises dialogue through which pupils learn to reason, discuss, argue and explain, in order to develop their higher order thinking and articulacy. The aim of this study is to find out whether the Dialogic Teaching intervention improves pupil attainment across the curriculum after one year (science, maths, and literacy), and whether it improves Key Stage 2 attainment in English and Mathematics after 2 years.
Who can participate?
Primary schools in the Leeds/Bradford and Birmingham local authorities with at least two Year 5 classes, a high proportion of free school meal (FSM) entitled children (over 20%), and no previous significant involvement in Dialogic Teaching.
What does the study involve?
80 participating schools are randomly allocated to either the intervention or the control group, using a technique that ensures each has schools that are balanced in terms of percentage of pupils using English as an additional language, percentage of pupils entitled to FSM, and Key Stage 2 attainment. Schools allocated to the intervention group receive training for teachers (delivered by the development team), ongoing in-school monitoring and support, and a pack containing study and reference materials and a development and mentoring manual. Schools are also loaned all the necessary equipment for video and audio recording, and cover is paid for any time when participating teachers are away from their classrooms. In the first year of the study, training is provided to all teachers of pupils in Year 5 in intervention schools. At the end of the first year, teachers of Year 6 (i.e. the same group of pupils who received the intervention in the first year) are offered the same training, reference materials, and equipment, although this will not be a compulsory part of the study. Schools allocated to the control group are advised to employ a business as usual approach. Control group schools have access to the intervention and associated equipment at the end of the study. After one year all children from both groups are assessed with either a Progress Test in English, Mathematics or Science. Key Stage 2 attainment scores for English and Mathematics are also compared for all children the following year.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
By participating teaching practice may change, leading to increases in pupil engagement and pupil spoken language. These changes in pupils' responses to classroom activity may lead to improved attainment in science, literacy, and numeracy (i.e. across the curriculum). There are no anticipated risks for staff or pupils participating in the study.
Where is the study run from?
80 schools based in Leeds, Bradford and Birmingham local authorities
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2015 to December 2017
Who is funding the study?
Education Endowment Foundation (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Tim Jay
T.Jay@shu.ac.uk
Trial website
Contact information
Type
Public
Primary contact
Mr Ben Willis
ORCID ID
Contact details
Centre for Education & Inclusion Research (CEIR)
Sheffield Hallam University
City Campus - Unit 7
Science Park
Sheffield
S1 1WB
United Kingdom
+44 (0)114 225 6059
b.willis@shu.ac.uk
Type
Scientific
Additional contact
Dr Tim Jay
ORCID ID
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4759-9543
Contact details
Reader in Education
Sheffield Institute of Education
10414 Arundel
City Campus
Sheffield Hallam University
Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB
United Kingdom
+44 (0)114 225 4850
t.jay@shu.ac.uk
Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
N/A
Study information
Scientific title
Efficacy trial: three-level clustered randomised controlled trial of a Dialogic Teaching intervention initiative delivered to teachers aimed at improving pupils' engagement, learning, and attainment
Acronym
Study hypothesis
The impact evaluation will address the following two research questions:
1. Does the Dialogic Teaching intervention improve pupil attainment across the curriculum after one year (science, maths, and literacy)?
2. Does the Dialogic Teaching intervention improve Key Stage 2 attainment in English and Mathematics after 2 years?
The theory of change for this intervention suggests that changes in teaching practice will lead to increases in the quality of pupil engagement and pupil spoken language (oracy) observable in the classroom (these are being assessed by the Delivery Team as part of their work). These changes in pupils' responses to classroom activity are in turn predicted to raise levels of attainment in science, literacy, and numeracy (i.e., across the curriculum).
In the process evaluation, we will address the following research questions:
1. What are the relationships between the training programme, teachers' changing practice, changing classroom interactions, and pupil outcomes?
2. Are there differences in the way that the intervention has been implemented by teachers in different schools?
Ethics approval
Faculty of Development and Society Ethics Committee, Sheffield Hallam University, 15/09/2015, ref: 11/09/15
Study design
Three-level clustered randomised controlled trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Cluster randomised trial
Trial setting
Schools
Trial type
Other
Patient information sheet
Not available in web format, please use the contact details to request a patient information sheet
Condition
Dialogic teaching
Intervention
This study is an intervention trial that employs a three-level (pupils within classes within schools) clustered randomised controlled trial design. Randomisation is at the primary school level, with half of the schools forming the intervention group and half of the schools forming a control group. Minimisation methods employed to achieve a balance of schools allocated to both intervention and control groups:
1. The intervention group: This includes training for teachers, ongoing in-school monitoring and support, and a pack containing study and reference materials and a development and mentoring manual. Schools also loaned all necessary equipment for video and audio recording, which are essential parts of the process, and cover costs paid for any time when participating teachers are away from their classrooms. In the first year of the trial, training is provided to all teachers of pupils in Year 5 in intervention schools. At the end of the first year, teachers of Year 6 (i.e. the same cohort of pupils as received the intervention in the first year) in intervention schools are offered the same training, reference materials, and equipment, although this will not be a compulsory part of the trial.
2. The control group: During the course of the project schools are advised to employ a business as usual approach. Control schools will have access to the intervention and associated equipment at the end of the project.
After 1 year all children from both groups are assessed in either a Progress Test in English, Mathematics or Science (equivalent number of pupils per class). Key Stage 2 attainment scores for English and Mathematics will also be compared for all children the following year. The evaluation team are also undertaking a process evaluation with intervention schools that will include a combination of surveys, interviews, lesson observations, analysis of the training materials/monitoring data.
Intervention type
Other
Phase
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
1. Literacy, measured using the Progress Test in English, GL Assessments after 1 year
2. Numeracy, measured using the Progress Test in Maths, GL Assessments after 1 year
3. Science knowledge, measured using the Progress Test in Science, GL Assessments after 1 year
Secondary outcome measures
Key Stage 2 attainment scores in English and Mathematics after 2 years
Overall trial start date
14/01/2015
Overall trial end date
01/12/2017
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. Primary schools in Leeds/Bradford and Birmingham local authorities
2. At least two Year 5 classes
3. A high proportion of children receiving free school meals (FSM) (over 20%)
4. No prior involvement in dialogic teaching
Participant type
Other
Age group
Mixed
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
80 primary schools
Participant exclusion criteria
1. Not having at least two Year 5 classes
2. A proportion of FSM children over 20%
Recruitment start date
01/04/2015
Recruitment end date
18/06/2015
Locations
Countries of recruitment
United Kingdom
Trial participating centre
Sheffield Institute of Education
Sheffield Hallam University
Unit 7 Science Park
City Campus
Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Organisation
Education Endowment Foundation
Sponsor details
Millbank Tower
21-24 Millbank
London
SW1P 4QP
United Kingdom
+44 (0)207 802 1676
Anneka.Dawson@eefoundation.org.uk
Sponsor type
Charity
Website
Funders
Funder type
Charity
Funder name
Education Endowment Foundation
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Results will be published on the Educational Endowment Foundation website in Spring 2018 (see https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/)
IPD sharing plan
All data will be stored on a secure server which only named researchers have access to – there is no weblink.
Outcome data from GL Assessment (Progress Test scores in English, Maths and Science) will be matched with data extracted from the National Pupil Database (NPD); all data will be held in an anonymised format so no individual pupil can be identified. Opt-out consent was obtained from pupils/parents for data collection, linkage and storage.
Outcome data is extracted from the NPD and provided in an anonymised format (no pupil names are stored in these data files) and ethical consent for accessing the NPD data (and attaching it to the baseline data IF this was collected) was obtained at baseline using an opt out consent form.
Intention to publish date
01/03/2018
Participant level data
Stored in repository
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list
1. 2017 results in: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Projects/Evaluation_Reports/Dialogic_Teaching_Evaluation_Report.pdf