Communication structures and discursive orientations in teachers' professional communication: Examples from Swedish compulsory school

Journal article, 2026

Few studies on teacher team meetings have examined the general discursive character of teachers' language use, typically focusing instead on specific aspects. This study analyses observations and audio recordings from meetings held by five teacher teams in Sweden. Three communication structures (ideational, interpersonal, and textual) and their discursive orientation (horizontal and vertical) are explored. The results show that (i) conversations were segmented and characterised by frequent topic changes, (ii) topics were strongly context-bound and of a practical nature, and (iii) the meetings reflected a consensus-driven, humorous, and care-orientated tone. A key finding is that the prevailing horizontal logic tends to suppress or undermine vertical logic, with vertical contributions often overlooked or regulated. This study contributes to the field by illustrating how a dominant horizontal discourse orientation can isolate central professional issues and limit discussion to individual cases and personal experiences, thereby reducing opportunities for systematic reasoning and shared knowledge-building.