A Systematic Review of Dialogue-Based Teaching Intervention in Chinese Classrooms

Purpose: In the past few decades, dialogic pedagogy has been highly valued and promoted in classrooms globally. Although studies examining dialogue-based pedagogical practices in China are still limited, recent studies have indicated that dialogue-based teaching interventions can be successfully implemented in China, countering stereotypes that view Chinese classrooms as authoritative and full of rote learning. This review examined the dialogue-based teaching interventions conducted in Chinese elementary and secondary schools. Design/Approach/Methods: Twenty-six empirical studies were selected following two rounds of screening and referential backtracking. A systematic analysis of these studies was framed around three themes: disciplinary fields, effects on students, and factors that contribute to the effects. Findings: Dialogue-based teaching interventions conducted in Chinese classrooms were mostly integrated with school subject fields. These interventions exert both cognitive and noncognitive effects on Chinese students, with the greatest cognitive effect involving higher-order thinking skills, and the greatest non-cognitive effect involving student engagement in classroom learning. Originality/Value: This review adopts the term “dialogue-based teaching” to integrate seemingly disparate sociocultural instructional approaches and intervention studies conducted in China. Our goal is to provide more relevant references for future researchers to carry out teacher professional development programs, thereby holding the potential to scale up dialogue-based teaching in China.