Analysis of Spoken Interaction (ASI)

There is a growing awareness in TESOL of the need to understand the professional contexts
in which language learners are expected to operate, and an increasing demand for those
who are able to analyse such contexts and produce properly focused courses and materials.
While the analysis of written text has been well established in TESOL for some time, spoken
interaction has received far less attention, and the importance of the broader ethnographic
context of such interaction is only now being recognised. In bringing together related but
distinct qualitative traditions (ethnography, the ethnography of communication, conversation
analysis and pragmatics), this module provides a broad but practical basis for the analysis of
professional interaction for the appraisal and production of TESOL (especially ESP) courses
and materials.

Content

The module is divided into four sections: a general introduction; an introduction to relevant
research traditions and strategies; examples of research in specified professional contexts; a
conclusion introducing new perspectives on such research and indicating new directions.

Introduction

• The professional context

Research traditions and strategies

• Ethnography in TESOL
• Ethnography of communication
• Conversation analysis
• Pragmatics
• Methods

Research Findings

• Classroom interaction
• Staffroom interaction
• Cross-cultural communication

Conclusion

• Our own context