Conversation Analysis and Talk‐in‐Interaction in Classrooms

Abstract

Conversation analysis (CA) was originally established in sociology during the 1960s, and since then it has found its way into various other disciplines, including applied linguistics and education. Its systematic description and explication of the moment-by-moment, turn-by-turn unfolding of social interactions, accomplished through repeated listen-ing or viewing of audio or video recordings, have aided classroom researchers' understanding of the dynamics of talk-in-interaction in classrooms and the social orders manifested therein. This chapter will first introduce CA's aims and principles as proposed by its founders Harvey Sacks, Emanuel A. Schegloff, Gail Jefferson and their colleagues and apprentices, highlighting what distinguishes this methodology from other methods of microanalysis. Following this brief summary of fundamentals, it will discuss how CA has been applied to the study of classroom interaction by introducing some exemplar studies. The concluding section will refer to ongoing controversies concerning CA's effectiveness as a sole analytical tool for the investigation of class-room interaction.