Classroom interaction

This chapter provides a snapshot of the main research trends of classroom interaction within disciplinary contexts. The discipline with the richest body of research on classroom interaction in higher education (HE) is undoubtedly the second language classroom. The body of literature on second language classroom interaction is largely rooted in the communicative language teaching approach (CLT). In a CLT environment, the aim is to fulfil the communicative purpose of the activity, which requires students to interact with each other orally and through semi-structured tasks. Many monograph-length treatments of classroom interaction in a language learning context focus on the relationship between classroom interaction and pedagogy. Different strands of research support different conceptualisations of language and interaction in the classroom. Issues of how classroom talk supports pedagogy are currently primarily discussed in the literature on the second language classroom, and in studies emerging from school settings.