Understanding interpersonal interaction characteristics in a blended synchronous classroom: a multimodal discourse analytic perspective

Abstract

One measure of the effectiveness of a blended synchronous classroom (BSC) is the quality of interpersonal interactions. However, qualifying the complex dynamics requires more than frequency analyses of verbal behaviours. This study used a multimodal discourse analysis framework to describe the dynamic coordination of interpersonal interactions in a BSC. The results showed that task ownership types affect the conversion between different interpersonal interactive modes. Moreover, giving equal attention to remote students, as a quality evaluation indicator of BSCs, needed to consider the interaction of teachers at both ends. Moreover, LS.RS and RS.LT interactions drove the healthy development of interpersonal interactions. In addition, the on-site teacher’s eye gaze at the remote student, combined with rhythmic gestures, not only acted as a visual cue to indicate important linguistic information to attract students’ attention but also modulated the salience of semantic feature words in the accompanying discourse. Thus, on-site local teachers should consider the appropriate interaction modes and the synergy of nonverbal behaviours to construct highly engaging learning environments.