Feasibility and acceptability of Conversation for Social Interaction: A universal, teacher-led programme for upper primary

Conversation skills are central to forming and sustaining friendships and to building positive peer relationships. These skills vary widely and are associated with academic, social, behavioural and mental health outcomes. We co-developed the Conversation for Social Interaction (CoSI) programme, a free, universal, whole-classroom programme designed to support conversational skills in 7– to 11-year-olds.

CoSI explicitly teaches reflection on the process of social conversation through direct instruction and structured, active learning activities, followed by opportunities for unstructured peer-to-peer practice to promote generalisation, supported by teacher feedback. We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of CoSI through teacher interviews and focus groups, alongside pre- and post-intervention assessments of children’s conversational skills.

Teachers reported that the CoSI materials were well-designed and easy to use, and both teachers and children enjoyed the structured conversational games. However, qualitative data indicated that further co-development with teachers is needed to ensure confidence in facilitating unstructured peer-to-peer conversation practice within lesson time.

To explore the feasibility of collecting outcome measures and provide a preliminary evaluation of the programme, 118 children were assessed before and after programme delivery using (1) a semi-structured conversational probe and (2) rating scales derived from a second, unstructured conversation. Statistically significant improvements from pre- to post-test were observed on the semi-structured measure and on two of four unstructured measures assessing turn-taking. For the semi-structured conversation, relevant responding increased from 44% to 64%. In unstructured conversations, conversational balance in turn-taking increased (OR = 1.97) and conversational reticence decreased (OR = -1.58). While this is promising, because there was no control group, causal inferences cannot be drawn.

Children’s self-reports indicated high acceptability, with 87% reporting that CoSI had helped them with real-life conversations, often supported by concrete examples. Teachers likewise described positive impacts on pupils and emphasised the importance of conversational skills for group work across the curriculum and for managing peer disagreements. Teachers also highlighted an increasing need for structured support for social communication in primary classrooms.

Taken together, these findings make a compelling case for the further development of the CoSI programme as a timely response to both classroom realities and a future-ready national curriculum.