Applied Linguistics Inquiry

Applied Linguistics Inquiry

The Impact of the Application of Dialogic Teaching Rules on the Iranian High School ESL Learners’ Speaking Ability

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Javad Esmaeily 1
Amir Mahdavi Zafarghandi 2
1 Ph.D. Candidate in Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language Teaching, Faculty of Humanities, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
2 Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language Teaching, Faculty of Humanities, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
10.22077/ali.2025.9202.1128
Abstract
Developing ESL learners’ speaking skills who study in Iranian senior high schools poses significant challenges due to the domination of traditional grammar-focused methods. This study investigates the effect of dialogic teaching rules, based on Alexander’s (2017) model, on the speaking skills of Iranian high school ESL learners. In a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, 43 Iranian twelfth-grade students were assigned to an experimental group (n=22) taught with dialogic rules and a control group (n=21) taught conventionally using Vision 2 and Vision 3 materials. Speaking fluency, accuracy, cohesion/coherence, and interactive skills were assessed (scored out of 25). Repeated measures ANOVA showed significant improvement in the experimental group's speaking performance as a whole (F (1, 41) = 14.50, p <.001) compared to the control group, with significant improvements in fluency and interactive skills. According to Vygotsky's (1978) Sociocultural Theory, Communicative Language Teaching, Constructivism, and Bakhtin's Dialogism, these findings demonstrate that dialogic teaching enhances communicative competence. These results suggest that implementing dialogic teaching strategies can transform ESL classrooms by improving dynamic, learner-centered contexts in which oral interaction is prioritized.
Keywords
Dialogic teaching
speaking ability
ESL learners
Iranian high school
communicative competence
Alexander’s model
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Applied Linguistics Inquiry
Volume 3, Issue 2
September 2025
Pages 12-22

  • Receive Date 25 February 2025
  • Revise Date 09 April 2025
  • Accept Date 08 May 2025