The Responsive Teacher
An Exploration of Teachers’ Dialogic Behaviours Throughout Their Gradual Release of Responsibility-Inspired Reading Lessons
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21293892 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Maria Nicholas (0000-0001-5979-4288, Deakin University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Australian Journal of Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0004-9441 • E-ISSN: 2050-5884 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00049441261447610 |
| OpenAlex | W7160865389 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 35 |
As standardised, scripted reading lessons become more prevalent, an important issue has arisen: what flexible, contextually responsive, student-centred affordances of teaching instruction may be lost if teachers feel compelled to restrict their teaching to scripted practice? To establish a baseline for evaluating the dialogic flexibility of such programs, this study presents a thematic analysis of the unscripted behaviours of three Australian primary school teachers across different grades (Foundation, Year 4, and Year 5/6) during their Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR)-inspired reading lessons. Findings revealed distinct variability in the application of modelled, shared, and guided reading, showing that teachers adapt their micro-moves in response to student interjections and real-time needs even when using the same instructional approach. These results highlight the inherent flexibility of unscripted GRR lessons and provide a framework for teachers to reflect on their own (or colleagues’) responsive practices
Affordance · Dialogic · Discourse analysis · Flexibility (engineering) · Reading (process) · Reading comprehension · Teaching method · Thematic analysis · Educational and Psychological Assessments · Reading and Literacy Development · Russian Literature and Bakhtin Studies
The instruction of reading comprehension
The Role of Background Knowledge in Reading Comprehension
Teachers’ Instructional Adaptations
The Barometer of Agency
Educational policies requiring scripted reading curriculums limit early childhood pre-service teacher candidates
Yes, DI did it
Negotiating the pedagogical requirements of both explicit instruction and culturally responsive pedagogy in Far North Queensland
Talking Back to Scripted Curricula
One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis
Nominated exemplar teacher perceptions of culturally responsive practices in the classroom
Attitudes toward Direct Instruction in Western Australian primary and secondary schools
The allure of simplicity
Tracking the Relations Between Children’s Reading and Emotional Health Across Time
A Confluence of Complexity
Aligning the Science of Reading With Adaptive Teaching
Converging Recommendations for Culturally Responsive Literacy Practices
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |