How does dialogic teaching facilitate students' creative thinking? Evidence from a sequential analysis of teacher–student dialogue in primary language classrooms

Abstract Dialogic teaching has been shown to be beneficial for students' learning and achievement. However, few studies have investigated how dialogic teaching may foster students' creative thinking in the classroom. This study examined the sequential patterns of classroom dialogue associated with students' creative thinking. Participants included eight teachers and 341 students from primary language classrooms. These classrooms were classified into two types (high and low) based on students' demonstrated levels of creative thinking. Lag sequential analysis was applied to compare dialogue patterns in these two types of classes. The results indicate that classes with high levels of creative thinking displayed significantly more use of the sharing and building‐on strategies, but significantly less use of the articulating strategy. The findings suggest that teacher–student dialogue patterns emphasising reasoned discourse and linking students' ideas were related to students' creative thinking. In contrast, dialogue sequences involving persistent questioning or excessive evaluation were not found to be conducive to the development of creative thinking. These findings contribute to the understanding of the relationship between dialogic teaching and creative thinking. The analysis of the dynamic and sequential features of classroom dialogue reveals crucial patterns of discursive interactions that may facilitate or hinder the development of creative thinking. The study highlights the potential of a dialogic learning environment for nurturing creative thinking, although not all types of dialogic teaching moves are equally beneficial.