Classroom discourse in EFL teaching

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This study examines classroom discourse, a key influence on students' experiences in EFL classes, by comparing two secondary schools in Austria and Spain. It focuses on EFL classes taught by a non-native speaker teacher alongside a native speaker assistant. The study aims to gain insights into classroom communication, explore culturally specific rules, and investigate communication strategies in these different contexts. The central research question is whether cultural modes of classroom communication differ in EFL classes taught by a teacher and an assistant. Data were collected through video recordings, transcribed audio, and analyzed using Conversational Analysis methods. The author specifically examines turn-taking, the IRE/IRF sequence, simultaneous speech, restarts, and pauses. The analysis reveals how certain conversational structures function in classroom discourse, highlighting differences in teacher presence, discourse smoothness, and student involvement. Results indicate that different communication strategies are employed in team-taught classes, suggesting that interaction with an assistant can increase students' talking time and lead to more fluent discourse, provided the assistant has sufficient autonomy. Additionally, the findings recommend strategies that enhance communicative competence, such as minimizing content interference, avoiding speaker selection, and facilitating open discussions.