Examining dialogic opportunities in teacher-student interaction: An ethnographic observation of the language classroom

Abstract

Abstract This paper challenges prevailing paradigms in the contemporary research regarding teacher discourse as a mostly diagnostic endeavor correcting students' errors and indexing language learning to first language (L1) norms. In contrast, this paper conceptualizes dialogic opportunities in the classroom space that facilitates the co-construction of knowledge between teacher and student. This paper presents data taken from an ethnographic study of an EFL (English as a foreign language) classroom involving an L1 English-speaking teacher and his L1 Japanese-speaking students. This paper analyzes observational and interview data to illustrate how the teacher takes advantage of opportunities in dialogic interaction, particularly with respect to centering dialogue around students' knowledge and perspectives, eliciting and validating their contributions, and establishing a meaningful rapport. A discussion of these findings aims to provide researchers guidance for developing a theoretical framework for positive dialogic opportunities, while calling on practitioners to adopt a more holistic approach to instructional practices.