Communication Practices and the Construction of Meaning: Science Activities in the Kindergarten

Abstract

The paper presents a comparative analysis of communication practices used in two kindergarten classes in Greece during science activities related to magnets and magnetic attraction. Communication practices are classified as inter-active / dialogic, interactive / authoritative, non-interactive / dialogic, or non-interactive / authoritative. Moreover, the role of different communication practices in the construction of meaning is analyzed, at the ideational, interpersonal and textual level. The analysis of characteristic episodes of the two activities reveals that different communication practices produce significant discrepancies in the meanings constructed in each classroom.