Tell Us More: Reading Comprehension,Engagement, and Conceptual Press Discourse

This study examines interactions between teachers and students during reading comprehension instruction to determine how certain patterns of teacher–student talk support student comprehension achievement and reading engagement. The central focus of the study is conceptual press discourse, a pattern of teacher response that includes requests for evidence, examples, clarification, and elaboration. Hierarchical Linear Modeling analysis of data from 21 fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms (495 students) indicated that in classrooms where teachers more frequently used discourse patterns that reduced conceptual press, students demonstrated weaker comprehension and engagement outcomes.