Interpersonal verbal communication in the language classroom is essential for acquiring target
language features and improving spontaneous oral production. This paper, thus, reports on a study that
attempted to contribute to our understanding of the nature and usefulness of classroom interaction as a
major component of language learning. Transcribed audio-recordings and observation reports from
three advanced speaking ESL classes comprised the data used in the study. Qualitative data analysis
focused on the characteristics and structure of teacher-student and student-student interaction
sequences and their potential contribution to the students’ linguistic knowledge. The study attempted to
address the following two questions: what is the nature and structure of teacher-student and studentstudent interaction and what learning opportunities do they create for language learners? The results
indicated that teacher-student interactions followed a regular pattern and allowed limited student
contribution. Student-student interactions, on the other hand, had longer turns and were more natural.
Both types of interaction seemed to influence the learning process in different ways; the former
provided explicit knowledge and comprehensible input while the latter allowed more opportunities for
learners to test their communicative abilities and produce comprehensible output.
Publication Date
4/5/2019
Publisher
International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies