Dialogic Interaction

This chapter examines the role of academic discussion (dialogic or multi-party interaction) between students and lecturers in open class discussions and between students in group discussions. Speaking plays a significant role not only in language learning but also in academic learning. Students can gain additional insights into academic content through their endeavours to articulate ideas and information. Through discussion, students can co-construct ideas that would not necessarily emerge through individual speaking alone. Students are often required to actively participate in university lectures and classes. However, discussions can be challenging for ESL students as speakers have to respond in real time to questions or raise questions and comments with limited time to plan or formulate the linguistic expression. EAP courses often aim to support ESL students through the provision of content on discussion skills in academic speaking skills courses, although that content can be relatively limited compared to other areas, such as giving presentations. This Chapter reviews linguistic research into discourse in dialogic and multi-party academic interactions, reviews findings from needs analysis research into ESL students’ difficulties and classroom practices in EAP teaching and suggests additional content that can be targeted.