Enhancing L2 Classroom Interactional Competence Through Teacher Education

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language Teaching, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

2 Professor of Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language Teaching, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

3 Ph.D. Candidate in Applied Linguistics, Department of English Language Teaching, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

10.22077/ali.2026.10490.1221

Abstract

Classroom interaction plays a significant role in helping consolidate academic knowledge in the learners. This study examined the interactional resources and moves employed by novice and experienced EFL teachers before, during, and after a teacher education intervention, aiming to understand their classroom interaction management strategies. Utilizing qualitative analysis, the study identified differences and similarities in the use of act selection, repair strategies, turn-taking practices, and boundary as resources and interactional features (moves). Experienced teachers demonstrated a more diverse deployment of interactional resources and moves. However, the novice teachers also showed some improvement in the deployment of interactional resources and moves, indicating the effectiveness of teacher education in enhancing their interactional competence. Conversely, experienced teachers exhibited a substantial number of resources and moves even before the intervention, maintaining a relatively stable performance throughout the study phases. These findings underscore the importance of ongoing teacher education programs to develop novice teachers' interactional skills and enhance their classroom interaction quality.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Applied Linguistics Inquiry
Volume 4, Issue 1
March 2026
Pages 1-13

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History

  • Receive Date: 14 November 2025
  • Revise Date: 21 December 2025
  • Accept Date: 17 February 2026

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