The Future of Education

Teachers play a crucial role in fostering classroom dialogue, which is particularly beneficial for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, as it enhances their engagement, critical thinking, and overall academic achievement (Mercer & Howe, 2012). At the same time, other general teaching behaviors, such as orientation and structuring, also contribute to student learning (Creemers & Kyriakides, 2008). In this sense, this paper investigates the extent to which factors related to teaching quality can explain variation in the achievement of academically resilient students, focusing on differentiated effects in Greek language and mathematics performance. Academically resilient students are defined as those who, despite adversities associated with a low socioeconomic background, perform well in school and demonstrate positive adaptation (Masten, 2007). The examined teaching factors derive from two theoretical models—the Dynamic Model of Educational Effectiveness (Creemers & Kyriakides, 2008) and the Educational Dialogue Framework (e.g., Hennessy et al., 2020)—aiming to propose an integrated model of effective teaching to support these students in the classroom. The study sample consists of 489 students from 29 primary schools in Cyprus, attending grades 4, 5, and 6. Teaching factors were measured through lesson observations, while achievement in mathematics and Greek was assessed at the beginning and end of the school year through written tests. To identify academically resilient students in our sample, we used two indicators: parents’ highest occupational status and students’ performance in mathematics and Greek (Anastasou & Kyriakides, 2024). Preliminary data analysis suggests associations between teaching factors and the performance of resilient students. Further parametric and non-parametric analyses will be conducted to explore the presence of differentiated effects. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Keywords: quality of teaching, teacher differential effectiveness, academic resilience, dialogic behaviour

References

Anastasou, M., & Kyriakides, L. (2024). Academically resilient students: searching for differential teacher effects in mathematics. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 35(1), 48-72. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2024.2314571

Creemers, B.P.M. & Kyriakides, L. (2008). The dynamics of educational effectiveness: A contribution to policy, practice and theory in contemporary schools. Routledge. 

Hennessy S., Howe C., Mercer N., Vrikki M. (2020). Coding classroom dialogue: Methodological considerations for researchers. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 25, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2020.100404

Masten, A. S. (2007). Resilience in developing systems: Progress and promise as the fourth wave rises. Development and Psychopathology, 19(3), 921–930. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579407000442

Mercer, N., & Howe, C. (2012). Explaining the dialogic processes of teaching and learning: The value and potential of sociocultural theory. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 1(1), 12-21.