An investigation of developing teachers’ understanding of using a dialogic approach in Saudi primary mathematics classrooms

Classroom talk and dialogue is fundamental to students’ learning mathematics. Much research has focused on the ways teachers interact with their students and the quality of dialogue between them. Drawing on recent developments in dialogic approaches to learning and teaching mathematics, this study investigates how Saudi mathematics teachers develop their understanding of classroom dialogue through a professional development process in mathematics teaching. The study involves multiple case studies collecting qualitative data on i) teachers’ espoused beliefs about their teaching practice and dialogic teaching and ii) teachers’ enacted practices using dialogic teaching principles. The participants were three male primary mathematics teachers in third-, fifth- and six-grade classrooms. The paper utilizes an early analysis and discussion about a teacher named Ahmad as one case study