SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This study explores the interaction between Japanese EFL learners’ use of classroom silence and teacher talk in Japanese EFL contexts. It specifically examines the extent to which the use of classroom silence by learners at tertiary level can be utilised as an interactional space scaffolded by teacher talk for L2 learning. This mixed-method qualitative study comprises two data sources. The initial data was drawn from a questionnaire survey to investigate 56 tertiary level native English teachers’ perceptions of alternative pedagogical approaches when encountering learner silence. Adopting a conversational analysis as the main analytical framework, the study focuses on sequential analysis of eight hours’ videorecorded data, examining the use of wait time and teacher talk. The teachers’ perceptions suggested that wait time is one of the most frequently referred elicitation strategies to facilitate learners’ oral interaction. Conversation analysis of classroom interaction between English teachers and learners illustrated that both facilitative silence to enhance oral interaction and inhibitive silence as withdrawal accompanied wait time, depending on how multiple turns after learner silence were extended and the degree of learner readiness to engage in interaction. The study also reveals how teachers’ interaction with learner silence can influence the outcome of interactional exchanges illustrating pedagogical implications.